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September 1984 



An independent magazine published by EMAP Publications 



35p 



i2L 



Issue No 30 



THE TRASHMAN 

COMETH 

top author 
talks dirty 









• w yw 



QL memory 

secrets 

revealed 



Short cuts 
to better 
programs 



L 










survive 

ng your 

ecure 



I 




1 




li: 





°k KEMPSTON PRO JOYSTICK INTERFACE. 



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"STATE OF THE ART design with the following exciting features 






-K \ ^ * Compatible with Kempston Joystick; software (the industry standard) 
\ ^# Compatible with Sinclair/Psion software. 
V * Compatible with cursor key software. 
J 'A * Compatible with ROM cartridge and cassette software. 
1 9 way D plugs for our 




Competition Pro range or standard 
Atari type joysticks. 

* Price includes VAT. p & p. 

\ HEmpsron 



MICRO" aECTftONICS LTD 
Unii 30 Singer Way. 

NWohum Road Industrial Estaie, 
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it 



Contents 



^ ■ 




Edildr 

Bill Scolding 

Deputy editor 

John Gilbert 

Consultant editor 

Mike Johnston 

Staff writer 

Chris Bourne 

Illustrator' designer 

Craig Kennedy 

Adi ertisement manager 
John Ross 

Deputy advertise men i manager 

Louise Fanchorpe 

Production assistant 

James McClurc 

Editorial assistant 

Colette McDer ttiott 

Subscriptions manager 

Carl Dunne 

Assistant publisher 

Neil Wood 

Publisher 

Gerry Murray 

Sinclair User is published monthly 

by EMAP Business 8t Computer 

Publications 



ABC 



Telephone 

Editorial and advertising departments 

01-430 1200 

If you would like to contribute to 

Sinclair User please lend 

programs or articles to: 

Sinclair User, 

EMAF Business & Computer Publications, 

67 ClerkenweLl Road, 

London EC1R 5BH 

Original programs should be on cassette and 

articles should be typed. We cannot 

undertake to return them unless a 

sTamped-addrcssed envelope is 

included. 

Wc pay £10 For the copyright of each 

program primed and £50 

per LOOO nords for each article used. 

All subscription enquiries to 

Magazine Services, 

EMAF Business fid Computer Publications, 

Priory Court „ 

30-32 Farringdon Lane* 

London EC1R 3AU 

Telephone 01-251 6222 

© Copyright J 984 

Sinclair User 

ISSN No 0262-5458 

1' noted and typeset by 

Cradlcy Frint PLC, 

Warley, 

West Midlands 

Distributed by 

Spotlight Magazine Distribution Ltd, 

1 BenweLl Road, 

Hallo way, London N7 

01-607 641 I 



16 



FEA TURES 



A O HINTS AND TIPS Simon Lew 

^** is provides routines to uncover 
the hidden talents of the Spectrum, 

CQ PROTECT AND SURVIVE 

** v Michael Spencer shows how to 
secure your software from program pirates. 

Q3 QL REVISITED John Gilbert 
**** lakes another look at the new 
Sinclair machine. 

QC QL MONITOR The power of 
**** the QL resides in its memory. 
Eric CowsiJI investigates. 

SOFT CENTRE Our pull-out 
guide to the latest software. 



REGULARS 



SINCLAIR SIMON The nest 

instalment in the life of our hack- 
ing hero, 

OI HARDWARE WORLD Our 

** **■ reviewers once again explore the 
hardware jungle, 

OR ZX-Sl SOFTWARE SCENE 

We review four new games. 
SPECTRUM SOFTWARE 
SCENE The latest releases. 

CO HIT SQUAD Trashraan author 
tPO Malcolm Evans talks rubhish to 

Chris Bourne. 

QC SINCLAIR BUSINESS USER 

tJt * Mike Wright explores specialist 
computer uses on the Spectrum. 

110 USER OF THE MONTH j^ 

PaSca talks to a psychiatrist who 
is crazy about Manic Miner 

J J n MIND GAMES The Hulk is on 
x ** * the rampage, Quentin Heath 
picks up the pieces. 

125 HELPLINE Andrew Hewson 
provides easy ways to store 
graphics 00 the Spectrum. 



35 



PLUS 



5 

downs in 

7 

13 

63 

67 

101 

133 

139 



SINCLA1RVOYANCE We 

comment on the recent ups and 
the software scene, 

NEWS Imagine goes under, but 
Carnell is saved. 

LETTERS Your opportunity to 
let ofT steam. 

NEXT MONTH A preview of 
some forthcoming attractions. 

PROGRAM PRINTOUT Dis 

cover the secrets of the pyramid. 

STARTER PACK Help for 
new Sinclair users, 

CLUB CORNER A List of clubs 

in Britain and abroad. 

SOFTWARE DIRECTORY 

Our regular ratings guide. 



SINCLAIR USER September 1984 




Pirates puzzled, page SO 




Waste disptfoi! operative, page 58 





Building tviih the Spectrum, page 85 




Curte of the serpent, page 67 



J 



*i ^ 



'! 



Now there's a selection 



iMpi 



selection of software. 



At HMV we've just installed the latest ranges of hardware and 
peripherals alongside the massive selections of software in our Computer 
department So whatever you need, whether it's a disk drive or a Hobhit, or 
simply some expert advice, you'll know exactly where to fmd us. 



ZX Spectrum 4BK 

ZX interface One 

ZX Microdrive 

Sport Microdrive cartridges 

Alphacom 32 Printer 

Kempston Centronics Printer 

interface '£' 
Qukkshot li joystick 
Currah micro-speech voice synthesiser 
DK Tronic* Mkli keyboard 
with Space bar 
Micrivttec f 4" colour monitor 

find, interface) 
Sabre Wutf (Ultimate) 
jet Set Willy (Software Projects) 
BiueThunder (Wilcox) 
Cavern fighter (Bug Byte) 
Codename Mat (Micromega) 
Fighter Pibt (Digital Integration) 
Chequered Flag (Psion} 
Atic Attack (Ultimate) 
Lunar jetman (Ultimate) 
hatbatl Manager (Addictive) 
johnny Reb (Lotbforian) 
Mugsy (Melbourne House) 
Ore Attack (Creative Sparks) 
The Hobbit (Melbourne House) 
Matchpoint (Psion) 
Borzak (Channel 8) 
Avtomania 
White Lightning 



129.99 

49.95 

49.95 

4.95 

69.95 

55.00 

9.50 

29.95 

45.00 

255M 
9.95 
5.95 
5.95 
6.95 
6.95 
7.95 
6.95 
5.50 
5.50 
6.95 
5.50 
6.95 
6.95 
14.95 
7.95 
6.95 
6.95 
14.95 



Factory Breakout 5.95 

Vforse Things Happen At Sea 5.95 

The Hulk (Marvel comics) 

(Adventure international) 9.95 

Snowbaii (Level Nine) 9,90 

Micro-Prolog (LPA/Sinctair) 24.95 

Tasword Tim Md Compatible (Tasman) 13.80 
Omnicalc Md Compatible 9. 95 

Complete range ofUttimat, Thorn EMI t 

Lothhrian, Level Nfne and Adventure 

International software. 
Complete range of ROM cartridges. 
Large range of Educational Software. 
Also: Sinclair Q.L companion book 6.50 

BBC, BBC/Torch, Memotech, Commodore, 

Hardware and Software, and a large range 

of books on various subjects. 

Ring 01-429 1240 to check fw aniiobiiXf A« prices mclvtit VAT 

ft'Cf i may ihangc wtttowt noCrJfcotHM. 



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SINCLAIR USER Stpitmixr 1984 



\ 



X 




The great shakeout 



THE GREAT SHAKEOUT in the software industry, 
predicted in the January and May issues of Sinclair 
User t is now underway, In the past month three major 
software companies, Imagine, Rabbit and Camel), have all 
collapsed . 

Of the three, only Carnell is likely to resurface. It had 
closed gracefully, declaring itself bankrupt and making its own 
arrangements for the funeral. Then, coming at the last minute 
like the 7th Cavalry, Mastertronic stepped in and saved the 
day. Imagine, on the other hand, despite rumours circulating 
for months about its imminent demise, refused to throw in the 
towel until it was finally, and ignominiously, closed by court 
order. 

Imagine was one of the largest software houses, with a 
glamorous image. Directors Butler and Everiss claimed in 
June that the company's problems were shared by the whole 
industry. Those problems included the epidemic of piracy, the 
crowding of companies in the marketplace and the surprise 
sales collapse. Attempts by Imagine to solve those problems 
included lowering the price of games and then reneging on the 
promise, sacking senior employee Colin Srokes for allegedly 
passing information to rival companies, and investing huge 
sums in a projected series of 'megagames' which were to sell 
for around £30-40. Towards the end straws were clutched at 
and Beau -Jolly scooped the back list of Imagine games. 

Though all those factors played their part, the real reasons 
for the fall of the house of Imagine could well be financial 
incompetence and inflated self-importance. One of the hall- 
marks of the company, dating back to its early days, was an 
extravagant advertising campaign for all its products and as 
things got worse the more extravagant that campaign became. 
Along with the Wrath of Magra, from Camel], there can be 
few other games presold as heavily as Psyclapse and Banders- 
natch, To date, neither has materialised or is likely to. 

Couple that with a company lifestyle to rival that of the 
long-established names in the computer industry, a lifestyle 
characterised by a fleet of Ferraris, Porsches and Lotuses, 
together with a tendency to wash dirty linen in public — 
witness the Colin Stokes affair — and you could be forgiven 

'Why should software companies 

feel aggrieved when the market 

turns out to be rougher 

than they hoped?' 

for thinking that there was a certain business sense missing 
from the dealings of Imagine, Most of their games weren't too 
wonderful either. 

To give Imagine its due, there was indeed a disappointing 
start to the year. Stuart Galloway of Camel] Software recog- 
nises that: "January and February were dead. We couldn't 
shift a thing." 

In truth there had been a sales boom at Christmas and the 
figures for January and February were well up on the previous 
year. What went wrong was the software industry's own 
prediction of those sales, wildly in excess of what actually 
happened. Imagine is thought to have been grossly over- 
stocked for Christmas. 

All industries are capable of over-producing^ of getting the 



figures wrong. If a government or great nationalised industry 
does it, we rightly criticise those responsible for the mistakes. 
Why should software companies feel aggrieved when the 
market turns out to be rougher than they hoped? 

The micro-world is full of enthusiasts, brilliant program- 
mers with no interest or background in conventional business 
procedures. They have started with a single product, often 
written between bouts of studying, advertised in small print 
on the classified pages of magazines. Two years later those 
people occupy key positions in fully-formed companies with 
expensive overheads, salaries to pay, accounts to be kept, and 
production schedules to meet. 

'What we are seeing is the 

birth pangs of a 

fully-fledged industry' 

j 

Stuart Galloway freely admits his lack of business know- 
how. Luckily for him and his partner Roy Cam ell he has won 
a second chance at the market in partnership with the 
directors of Mastertronic. New chairman Frank Herman has 
great confidence in Camel 1 and Galloway as games designers, 
but the new company has been so constituted as to leave all the 
financial decisions in the hands of the Mastertronic business- 
men and the product development in the hands of the Carnell 
visionaries. 

Galloway is happy with that. 'Having had some experience 
of the world of finance,' he says, *I think I'm well out ol 'if 
You cannot give 100 percent to the imaginative, artistic side 
and 100 percent to the business side. We managed 50 percent 
each, and it wasn't good enough. 3 

The Carnell-Mastertmnic deal is a pointer to the future. 
Mastertronic has been regarded by the rest of the industry 
with some distaste — entrepreneurs moving in on the market 
to make a killing with cheap software and playing havoc with 
accepted pricing strategies. Carnell was built on a fantasy 
world, the Third Continent, which was in existence long 
before the computer games were designed or even planned. 

The combination of business expertise and imagination 
should prove a powerful one for many companies. There is no 
reason why imagination should become stifled by business 
considerations as long as the consumer demands the high 
quality products already on the shelves. 

What we are seeing is not so much the bursting of the 
bubble, as the birth pangs of a tully-fledged industry which 
can operate under the same conditions as any other industry. 
Of those who have dropped out of the race, we are sure that 
the ones with real expertise and flair will surface again, 
perhaps in a more disciplined environment. 

The commitment of the British consumer to home comput- 
ing is still the highest in the world, with 44 percent of children 
aged 12-15 living in a home with a computer. While that 
continues the British software industry will not collapse. 

In the meantime the movement will be towards mergers and 
takeovers, with companies in related industries looking for 
established software houses to add to their group. While 
sentiment may regard such activity with distaste, it will give 
software companies a much stronger and more protective 
financial base. Expansion requires confidence, and confidence 
in Britain stems from visibly sound management. 



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SINCLAIR USER September I9S4 




How to go bust 
Imagine-style 



IMAGINE SOFTWARE 
has finally collapsed, with es- 
timated debts of at least 
£350,000. The Liverpool 
company had been in severe 
financial [rouble for some 
months, culminating in a se- 
ries of last ditch efforts to 
stave off bankruptcy. 

One such attempt was to 
sell off 100,000 cassettes to a 
West German dealer at 
around 30p each in order to 
pay off immediate creditors. 
Those included VNU Busi- 
ness and Computing Publica- 
tions, who obtained a court 
order compelling payment,, 



Clive across 
the channel 

SINCLAIR RESEARCH 
has created a European mar- 
keting unit in Britain to 
launch its range of products 
from new premises in West 
Germany and France. 

1 he move into Europe is 
the prelude to a major sales 
drive which, Sinclair claims, 
will, take place during late 
1984 and early 1985. The 
company anticipates conti- 
nental sales half a million at 
the end of this year and, with 
the introduction of the QL, 
figures should double within 
the next yeai . 

Charles Cotton, Sinclair's 
overseas business manager 
says; "Our strategy aims to 
consolidate our leading posi- 
tion in European markets and 
increase both sales and mar- 
ket share.'* 

The company currently 
sells in European territories 
through exclusive local dis- 
tributors. The new bases, in 
Frankfurt and Paris, will also 
concentrate on third-pun y 
support and service facilities 
which will include local lan- 
guage software in French and 
German. 



following which other credi- 
tors came forward to press 
their claims. 

Two directors of Imagine 
travelled to the USA in a 
final effort to drum up fi- 
nance on the strength of the 
projected Mega-games, hard- 
ware-based products intend- 
ed to retail at five times the 
price of ordinary cassettes. 
They returned from the 
States empty-handed and, in 
spite of the German deal, the 
company failed to satisfy 
creditors before the deadline 
for payment ran out. The 
company was then formally 
dissolved by court order. 

The colourful style of the 
Imagine management has 
won the company few friends 
in the software industry. Al- 
though a number of good 
programs, coupled with 
strong advertising, ensured 
the company a prominent 
place among software houses 
in 1983, it seems as though 
Imagine has been heading for 
a spectacular crash for many 
months. 



Most Imagine games have 
already been sold to distribu- 
tor Beau-Jolly but directors 
Butler, Lawson and Hether- 
ington are said to have set up 
a company, Finch Specdj to 
take over the mega-games. 
That was done the weekend 
before the court stepped in to 
close Imagine and it remains 
to be seen how they intend to 
produce the games with no 
obvious means of financing 
such an expensive product. 

Such is the level of suspi- 
cion surrounding the final 
days at Imagine that Mersey- 
side Fraud Squad is monitor- 
ing the situation, although a 
police officer emphasised that 
no formal investigation into 
the company or its directors 
has yet begun. 

Another company to fall 
foul of the liquidator is Rab- 
bit Software, based in Midd- 
lesex., 

Both Rabbit and Imagine 
suffered burglaries recently 
in which thousands of 
pounds worth of stocks and 
equipment were stolen. 



Sinclair Logo 



THE LONG-AWAITED 
version of the educational 
language Logo has been re- 
leased for the 48K Spectrum. 
The package comes as a cas- 
sette with two books, one for 
beginners and the other for 
experts. 




ZX Sinclair Logo is of 
the original Logo designed by 
Seymour Pa pert and devel- 
oped by Logo Computer Sys- 
tems Inc. 

The company hopes to 
promote the language in 
schools and colleges. With 
the addition of a floor turtle 
robot, the package will be, at 
£39.00, the least expensive 
version of Logo. 

Sinclair hopes to make the 
language available for the QL 
and there is speculation Lhat 
it might be a ROM-based 
package which will be re- 
leased with a range of other 
languages including Micro- 
Prolog and Pascal. 



Fast action 
on pirates 

A NEW organisation has 
been launched with the 
specific purpose of fighting 
software piracy. The Feder- 
ation Against Software Theft 
aims to secure an amendment 
to the existing copyright law 
Tory MP Nick Lyall has 
already tabled a ten-minute 
Bill for debate in Parliament 
to pave the way for the intro- 
duction of a Private Mem- 
ber's Bill next parliamentary 
session. 

"The Government sup- 
ports the Bill," he said. "But 
cannot include it in current 
legislation plans because it is 
so busy already." 

Kenneth Baker, the minis- 
ter for Information Tech- 
nology, has' already pledged 
his support for FAST. 

4 'The software industry is 
a very important and quickly 
growing sector of the econo- 
my," he said. "It is essentia! 
that it should be in a position 
to protect itself against un- 
lawful copying. I would like 
to assure FAST of my sup- 
port and encouragement for 
their valuable efforts in this 
area." 

The companies represent- 
ed by FAST include such 
names as IBM, Apple, W H 
Smith, Microsoft, and DEC. 
A spokesman for Sinclair Re- 
search said Sinclair support- 
ed the aims and principles of 
FAST but had not yet decid- 
ed whether to join, 



Same paper, 
new owners 

THE SINCLAIR group of 
publications, including Sin- 
clair User and Sinclair Pro- 
grams, has been acquired by 
East Midland Allied Press, 
the publisher of Computer 
and Video Games. 

The new address is EMAP 
Business and Computer Pub- 
lications, 67 Clerkenwell 
Road, London EC1R 5BH. 

mart netci an (mgr B 



SINCLAIR USER September 1984 



I 



m 




Read before vou leap 



Sinclair have taken their leap — now it's your turn. 
And with the expert guidance of Lionel Fleetwood's 
Sinclair QL User Guide you can take that leap in 
the right direction. 

Step by step it will enable you to exploit the 
potential of this revolutionary new micro. The self- 
contained sections make quick overviews possible 
when you've a particular problem to solve, and real 
life examples show how to produce letters, keep 
records, prepare accounts and create useful graphs, 

Bits and bytes don't appear until you gel to the 
technical section on Super BASIC and file handling. 

Even here you'll find the language remains 
clear and reader-friendly. 

Priced £7.50, this guide will prove invaluable 
reading to both owners and prospective buyers alike. 

You can obtain your copy through good 
bookshops and computer stores or simply by using 
the coupon below. 



Published by Sigma Press (ISO pages, tSBlV 0905104 927) and 
marketed bv John Witty & Sans Lid. 



To: Carol Sue ton, John Wilcv &. Sons Ltd. Baffin; Lane, 

Chichester. FREE POST. Susses POl9 1YP <tWim P required > 

Please wrnd me Sinciair QL User Guidefsj at £7.50 each 

I enclose PO/cheque Tor {pnyabkio John Wlky ftsoni Ltd.) 

OR charge tny credit card (Dare of tupiry . ) 



I .in! Mo 



AECeM/Barthjrcand/Viii/Arocntan Hiprrss/Diners dub |dj|*it) 

OR telephone your credit card order —dial 100 (UK only) and 
ask for FREEFONE 3477 

Name/ Address . 



Signature 



/Sigma Press 



MARKETRPBYJOHN W] LEV ft SONS LTD (Reg. Ko. 641132 England i SU 



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SINCLAIR USER September 1984 



News 



1 

Sinclair plans for QL 



SINCLAIR RESEARCH 
has defended the delays in 
QL deliveries and is confi- 
dent that the same situation 
will not arise again. 

Sir Clive Sinclair told jour- 
nalists at the beginning of 
July: "The delays in delivery 
of the QL have not been as 
great as those experienced 
when other computers, such 
as the IBM PC and Acorn 
Electron, were launched yet 
we have tended to get all the 



bricks thrown at us." 

At the time of going to 
press the machines were go- 
ing out at a rate of approxi- 
mately 2,000 a week and 
Sinclair expected that figure 
to have risen to 20,000 units 
a month by the end of the 
summer, Nigel Seade, man- 
aging director, claimed that 
any bugs which are pointed 
out by users will be rectified 
where possible and the cor- 
rected versions of the QL 



Quicksilva develops 
games for the classroom 



QUICKSILVA is planning 
an onslaught on the educa- 
tion market with a suite of 
programs combining edu- 
cational content and games. 
They will be developed by 
Quicksilva Edutainment Div- 
ision and marketed under the 
slogan: "QED The Brain- 
lords' 1 . 

The educational games 
will include l edventures', 
combining the traditional ele- 
ments of fantasy adventure 
games with historical infor- 
mation and questions, with 
projects aimed at both O- arid 
A-Level students. 

"Most existing programs 
are totally passive," says Rod 
Cousens, managing director 
of Quicksilva. "They don't 



demand sufficient user in- 
volvement nor do they com- 
mand attention. Vou have got 
to do something with the 
computer which is different 
from textbook education." 

To ensure that the edu- 
cational content will be of 
value, Quicksilva is combin- 
ing with educational book pu- 
bis hers to develop the 
products and is also working 
with academics at the Educa- 
tion Department of South- 
ampton University, 

Cousens is also anxious 
that programs take advantage 
of the characteristics of indi- 
vidual computers, hoping to 
produce programs for the 
Spectrum, BBC and QL with 
the launch in September. 




A RECORD FIELD of 2,400 runners took part in the 
third Cambridge half- marathon sponsored by Sinclair 
Research. Sir Clive ran the 13-mile course, hut failed to 
do for athletics what he has done for computing. Victory 
went to Bob Treadwell in lhr 5m 42s with Olympic hope 
Joyce Smith winning the women's section. 



User Guide should have been 
released in August. 

The company hopes that 
more than a quarter of a mil- 
lion QLs will be sold before 
the end of next year and has 
plans for several hardware 
and software launches during 
1985 to support the growing 
user base. 

Hardware expansion will 
include a 5I2K RAM board, 
Winchester disc interface, 
printer, and modem. None of 
those peripherals will be pro- 
duced by Sinclair but they 
will be marketed under the 
company logo. 

Big-league software com- 
panies have also been pulled 
into the QL market. Sinclair 
Research already has agree- 
ments with Digital Research, 
Sagesoft, Micro A PL, Scicon, 
Quicksilva, Lattice, Meta- 
comco, Caxton, Psion, GST 
and Intelligent Software. Sin- 
clair also aims to market the 
Unix operating system under 
license but, as with all the 
hardware products, will do 
none of the software develop- 
ment itself. 

Criticisms of the QL key- 
board and Quill wordproces- 



sor have also been answered 
by Sinclair Research. Sir 
Clive denied that the key- 
board was almost as bad as 
that of the Spectrum, saying: 
s *l think that it is a superb 
keyboard." 

David Potter j of Psion, de- 
fended the Quill word proces- 
sor, although he agreed it was 
slow when entering and dis- 
playing text. As a result of 
the criticisms Quill will be 
upgraded and its speed in- 
creased when the next ver- 
sion is released later this year. 




Sir Clive: a*mpititni t>J bricks. 



Yanks muscle in 



AN INFLUX of software 
from the United States is be- 
ing aided by CheetahSoft, the 
software subsidiary of Chee- 
tah Marketing. 

The company has made a 
deal with Imagic, which has 
previously dealt with Com- 
modore and Atari, to convert 
games to the Spectrum in or- 
der to market them in Brit- 
ain. 

The first two titles for the 
computer have appeared al- 
ready. Moonsweeper in- 
volves an attempt to rescue 
miners on one of four moons. 
Three dimensional graphics 
show the descent to the 
moon. The other game. 
Dragon Fire, bears a slight 
resemblance to Hunchback. 



The player must enter a cas- 
tle while avoiding an angry 
dragon. 

Peter Hardingham, mar- 
keting director of Cheetah- 
Soft, says; "The graphics are 
very good and will remind 
users more of the Commo- 
dore machines than the Spec- 
trum. It is about time that the 
UK was allowed to see the 
best American software at 
prices that are not the rip-off 
that they always have been." 

"Versions have been pro- 
duced for the Atari machines 
and Colecovision and the 
Spectrum games use the 
sprite graphics which are a 
feature of those machines," 

mow newt on page iQ 



SINCLAIR USER September 1934 




Professional 
database 

A NEW DATABASE has 
been launched in the UK by 
Dialog, a subsidiary of the 
giant multi-national Lock- 
heed Corporation. 

Knowledge [ndex has at- 
tracted 5,000 subscribers in 
the U.S.A. since its launch in 
1982, and a spokesman for 
Dialog said the company will 
be pleased to win 1,000 U.K. 
subscribers over the next few 
months. 

The system can be ac- 
cessed via modem by most 
home computers, including 
the Spectrum and QL. The 
service will cost £25 a year, 
including a manual and two 
free hours of use, Any further 
time will cost $24 an hour. 

For their money, users will 
gain access to over 20 million 
items of information on a 
wide variety of subjects, 
mainly of a technical nature. 

Daley goes 
to Hollywood 

ANOTHER lunatic Auto- 
mata competition has ended. 
Phil Daley of Stoke-on-Trent 
has won a trip to the U.S.A. 
for completing My Name Is 
Uncle Groucho. Daley cor- 
rectly named the mystery 
personality as Mickey Mouse 
and provided the winning 
slogan with: 'There's no 
blood in our games, it's all 
tomata sauce*. 

Daley will fly to Holly- 
wood on Concorde, cruising 
home on the QE2. 



Carnell returns 
from the grave 



THE DIRECTORS of Car- 
nell Software, which was re- 
cently put into voluntary 
liquidation, are back in busi- 
ness again. Roy Carnell and 
Stuart Galloway have set up a 
partnership with senior mem- 
bers of Mastertronic to mar- 
ket the Third Continent 



series of games, including a 
long-awaited Wrath of Ma- 
gra. 

The new company, which, 
although financed by Master- 
tronic directors will be oper- 
ated independently of that 
company, is to be called In- 
novisions. The Wrath of Ma- 



Cheap games from CCS 



THE LOW-PRICED soft- 
ware market has expanded 
further with the introduction 
of games from Charlie Char- 
Ik- Sugar, a division of Cases 
Computer Simulations. 

The company has used the 
new name with its range of 
£2.99 games so that it will 
not be confused with its 
range of strategy;, simulation 
and adventure games which 
retail at traditional market 
prices such as £5,95. 

A spokesman for CCS 
says: "The Charlie Charlie 
Sugar range is designed to 



encourage impulse purchases 
and is accordingly priced 
within the average teenager's 
pocket money allowance. 
The games are excellent val- 
ue for money and represent a 
straightforward marketing 
policy of offering a range of 
different quality, separately 
branded, products which are 
priced and packaged accord- 
ingly." 

The range so far comprises 
four cassettes which include a 
whodunnit mystery, a French 
dice game and a version of 
Pel man ism. 




gra will be released 
immediately at £12.50 and 
new projects are already 
planned. 

One condition of the new 
deal is that the Mastertronic 
side will handle all financial 
and business details, leaving 
Carnell and Galloway to con- 
centrate on the products 
together with Stephen Kirk, 
who was a programmer at 
Carnell and is now a partner 
in Innovisions, 

"We are completely happy 
with the deaf said Stuart 
Galloway. 

Overseas 
promotion 

THE GUILD of Software 
Houses is currently liaising 
with the Board of Overseas 
Trade to provide facilities for 
companies to promote their 
products abroad. 

"We want to help compan- 
ies sell overseas by represent- 
ing people with joint 
projects," ^ays Mike John- 
ston of GOSH. One possi- 
bility is to organise joint 
trade stands at overseas 
shows, 

"We have also agreed, in 
principle, to create a list of 
reputable overseas dealers," 
says Johnston. "That would 
protect companies from fall- 
ing victim to unscrupulous 
dealers in other countries." 



Golden oldies ploy 
from Quicksilva 



QUICKSILVA is planning 
to release a compilation tape 
consisting of a number of ear- 
ly games to retail at about 
£7.00 

The idea is a response to 
i he growth of cheap "pocket- 
money' software from com- 
panies such as Puisonic or 



MastenroniCj and would be 
called The Beat of Quick- 
silva. 

Managing director Rod 
Cousens believes the move is 
a logical step for software 
companies and compares the 
strategy with similar pro- 
ducts in the music industry. 





Top 


Ten 




Program 

1 Jet Set Willy 

2 Blue Thunder 

3 Trash man 

4 Sabre Wuli 


l.iisi Month 
1 

7 

2 


Cum puny 
Soft. Pmj, 
Foundry 
New Gcp- 
Ultimate 


Memory 
48 K 
4ftK 
48K 
48 K 


5 Fighter Pilot 

6 Paytnon 

7 Chequered Flag 
S Zaxxon 




3 
5 

S 


Digital In l, 
Bcypnd 
Piion 
Slarzune 


4HK 
4 BR 
4HK 
4&K 


10 Hunchback 




— 


Ocean 


48 K 


Figures supplied by 


W 11 Smith 









10 



SINCLAIR USER Septembrr J994 



+ # + 



7TT 

Ml 



- • 



^^MiJ 



.** 



* 






T^ 



^-.--#! 



*■' 



v^ 







AH these Summer 



HIGH NOON 7*90 

STUNT BIKE 6.90 

GILLIGANSGOLD 6.90 

JONNY and the JIMPYS 6,90 

ANDROID 2 6.90 



eases are available for the Commodore 64. 



Available now for the 
SPECTRUM 48K: 
HIGH NOON 
GILLIGANSGOLD 



6,90 
£.90 




Ocean Software is available from all good software ^dealers 
and selected branches of: woolmmth \\u smith ^ "JBfinSSEl 



Ocean House 6 Centra! Street 
Manchester M2 SNS Tel: 06 I 832 6633 

LflSKYS Rumbelows and Spectrum Shoo$ 



r 



chE connoittciRS choice 




1T.W 

QUEST ADVENTURE - Kim Toptey 

Fttf * map l*Wm In n rtos*** «hu «tI%**ei1 oy 

FANTASIA DIAMOND - Kim Tofrity 

>!hw tfw mjtjmhtwit Fjctasia oamond *nd moif tan 

tfir (Twin HJy 

Seietwd iif mj jw*iiatJi* Iron Centresaft Dealers 
And am leading computer software retails 



Hewson Consultants 

S6B Mftoi Tr«*nq Estnt. Milton. itmxfXn Q«on C* 1 4 -MW 



Ai pan or our conwxirng devetopme™ or umovjov* wnwjrc 
mvt « *«ays nappy a) iv*»ts netware m* id la wtih * 



E^S^EEC! 



LASKYS 



HMV 



Letters = 



Software reviews are 
a matter of taste 



I WAS AMAZED to read the 
complete load of farcical rub- 
bish printed in the starter 
pack section of your June is- 
sue. To quote; "The tapes 
can vary in quality and ii is 
advisable to read the reviews 
in Sinclair User and use your 
judgment to find the best." 

My complaint is that those 
who have only just acquired 
their computer will probably 
have very little judgment as 
to what is a good computer 
game, and will therefore have 
to rely on the Sinclair User 
reviews and the Gilbert Fac- 
tor which can be extremely 
misleading. Examples of thai 
are the terrible Halls of the 
Thing, which has a totally 
undeserved factor of nine, 
and which has received un- 
ending praise from John Gil- 
bert, and Maziacs, which 
despite being boring and very 
easy, received a factor of 
eight. 

The review of the former 
prompted me to buy it in my 
early days of being a com- 
puter owner j and I was disap- 
pointed to find I had bought 
a monotonous game which 
required six hands to play. 

To help combat the dam- 
age caused by these reviews^ 
which appear to be based 
purely on the original con- 
cept of a game, along with a 
smattering of John Gilbert's 
personal taste, 1 suggest that 
a team of reviewers replace 
him in the job of reviewing 
games. That will provide a 
wider spectrum of opinions 
and would probably improve 
ihe quality of Sinclair User 
software reviews. 

Steven Robbie, 

aged 12, 

Que n don, 

Essex. 

mjohn Gilbert replies: Halls 

of the Things was one of the 

ben products an the software 

market and was received tuell 

by the computer press. Sinclair 



User did not express the mast 
vociferously favourable opinion 
on the game but treated it as a 
program which had just the 
right amount of technical excel- 
lence and payability. There 
are, of course* differences of 
opinion but contrary to popu- 
lar belief I do not produce all 
the reviews for the magazine. 
Sinclair User has a panel of 
five reviewers and, therefore, 
not ail the opinions expressed 
in the software column of the 
magazine are necessarily mine. 

Same game, 
new numbers 

I BUY as many of your maga- 
zines as possible, and I'm 
amazed to see that all of the 
programs checked by you, 
which include random num- 
bers, lack a statement read- 
ing: RAND 0. In other 
words, each time you play the 
game, having typed in the 
program, the random num- 
bers will be exactly the same, 
and in the same sequence. 

The function Rnd is pseu- 
do random and follows a set 
sequence of numbers. Where 
this sequence starts is easily 
changeable, using the 
keyword RAND; RAND 12 
will store 1 2 in memory loca- 
tions 16434 and 16435, The 
sequence will then continue. 

The important point is 
that RAND 12 will always 
give the same sequence of 
numbers. When the ZX-81 is 
switched on, RAND is set to 
and that too gives the same 
numbers each time a game is 
played. To demonstrate that 
switch your computer off and 
on again and type PRINT 
RND. The first number 
printed will always be 
0.001 1 29 1 504 and the second 
0.08581543. 

In fact, if you type RAND 
N the next value of RND will 
be(75*(n+l)-]>/65536. 

When switched on, the 



ZX-81 counts the frames dis- 
played by the TV — 50 per 
second in England — in 
memory locations 16436 and 
16437. The statement 
RAND or just RAND on 
its own, will set the memory 
locations where the value of 
RAND is stored, to the val- 
ues in the timer. That will 
make the RND sequence 
start in a different position 
depending on how long the 
ZX-81 has been on. That is 
the nearest the computer can 
get to a truly random num- 
ber. 

Mark Bensilum, 

aged 14, 

London N3 

Repairing the 
ZX Printer 

AFTER READING the let- 
ter sent in by John Cargill of 
Stockport, I would also like 
to express my views. To date 
I have taken 3 Spectmms and 
3 ZX printers back to the 
shop, the last being at the 
beginning of April when I 
returned my printer to W H 
Smith and was told that all 
ZX printers were being with- 
drawn and any repairs, would 
take between 2 to 3 months. I 
could not wait 2 months at 
that stage as I was expected to 



hand in my 'O' Level GCE 
Project. My last resort was to 
find an extra £20 to purchase 
an Alphacom 32 which has 
performed perfectly. 

I also wrote a letter to Sin- 
clair Research and in their 
reply was told they were sor- 
ry for the inconvenience I 
had suffered but were unable 
to offer any assistance apart 
from suggesting I try other 
shops and outlets to try and 
obtain a ZX printer. 

After all the problems 1 
have experienced with Sin- 
clair I am sceptical about pur- 
chasing a Microdrive in case 
this too should turn out 10 be 
faulty. 

Mark Clay don, 
Colchester, Essex. 

Hobbit fan 
requires help 

I OWN a 48K Spectrum and 
if any readers could help me 
with The Hobbit I would be 
really happy. 

Also if anyone would like 
to write to me as a pen-pal I 
would gladly reply to their 
letters. 

I would like to thank S 
Chadwick from Liverpool — 
letters, March — for helping 
me practice Manic Miner 
on any screen with everlast- 
ing lives. Now I have become 
saner as I have at last passed 
Eugene's Lair. 

Julia Newman, 

20 Townseod Street, 

Cheltenham, 

Glos GL51 9HA. 



Colour and the QL 



I ORDERED my QL on the 
1 5 January, a few days after 
the announcement. It arrived 
on 28 May. 

I can report that it works 
well with both an ARO 1401 
TV and a Microdrive Cub 
monitor. In one respect, it is 
better than the brochure. Al- 
though sold as an eight col- 
our machine, it can stipple 
colour together to give 200+ , 
The manual suggests that 
stippling is only satisfactory 
on a monitor, but it doesn't 



look too bad on our TV. The 
colour codes in the manual 
art correct only for TV, the 
monitor exchanging the reds 
and greens. The DEFine 
PROCedure is a joy. 

My only criticisms are the 
absence of user defined 
graphic characters, and a con- 
fused indeKless manual. I 
really believe I must be a 
satisfied customer. 

Phil Barker, 
Birmingham. 

more tellers on page 1$ 



SINCLAIR USER September 1984 



13 



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Contents: Quicksbot I joystick • 
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14 



SINCLAIR USER September 1984 



Diet expert 
bites back 



THANK YOU for an excel- 
lent magazine. I hope that 
you will be able to maintain 
the standards that you have 
set so successfully. 

Recently you reviewed one 
of my programs marketed by 
Key soft, The Dietician for 
the 48K Spectrum. In the 
review, you stated "the pro- 
gram seems to calculate the 
ideal weight more according 
to fashion than common- 
sense." 

That is a strong statement 
that needs just ilka lion. Has 
the reviewer checked the 
ideal weight figures given in 
the major medical and scien- 
tific publications? I would 
think not, because the figures 
calculated by the program 
agree with those given in 
publications such as: The 
Which Book of Siimming; The 
Diet Center Book of Dieting; 
Biometrim Tabla; The Book 
of Diets and Slimming. 

You stated also "the diet 
plans are over simplified," I 
would like to point out that 
one of the major problems of 
somebody following a 
specific diet course, is the 
diet set up and the selection 
of the meals. 



The Dietician offers the 
opportunity to construct your 
diet in such a way that you 
are able to live with it. It does 
not require accurate weighing 
of various foods and calcula- 
tion of their calorific content. 
The simplicity of the ap- 
proach is its strength because 
it allows an infinite number 
of variations in the diet 
menus. 

Whatever diet you decide 
to follow, you have to devote 
some time during the initial 
stages to come to grips with 
it. No diet method can avoid 
that but I believe that The 
Dietician helps you live with 
your diet. 

You cannot judge the ef- 
fects of a treatment after the 
first course; you have to fol- 
low it to express a valid 
opinion. 

Dr E Frangoulis, 

Imperial College of 

Science and Technology, 

London SVV7. 

Sinclair is 
not alone 

LIKE HUNDREDS of 
others, I have had problems 
with my Spectrum — I am 



now on my third — and I too 
have had my letters to Sin- 
clair ignored. 

I have also written two let- 
ters each to Microvitec and 
Miracle Systems Ltd. Are 
those companies making so 
much money that they can 
ignore possible orders of 
£200 and £75 respectively? 

Compare that to the excel- 
lent service received from 
DRG Business Systems, JLC 
Display Electronics, Time- 
data Ltd, who went out of 
their way to solve the matter 
for me, even reimbursing the 
postage. 

I suppose those excellent 
companies do balance those 
with poor service records but 
unfortunately it is the latter 
that cause us so much hin- 
drance in our pursuits. 

M S Haines, 

Watford, 

Herts. 

Help for the 
handicapped 

WE ARE in the process of 
establishing a database of 
software for the handicapped 
- BAKDSOFT. Each entry 
will contain a description of 
the programs, the handicaps 
they are suitable for, the type 
of computer system required, 
name and address of supplier/ 
developer and price. 

The aim of BARDSOFT 
will be to facilitate the ex- 



Sabre Wulf in Scandinavia 



WE ARE two boys writing to 
you from Norway about Sa- 
bre Wulf from ITltimate. The 
game has very impressive 
graphics and it is really fun to 
play in the beginning. 

You find yourself out in 
the jungle. There you have to 
find a ring broken in four 
pieces. Each time you find a 
piece there is a verse and a 
melody. The four verses are; 
One piece is all that you have 

found, 
collect three more and out- 
ward bound. 
Two pieces are yours to keep, 
this score again is what you 
seek. 



One piece more must you 

amass, 
and find the keeper you may 

pass. 
Four pieces found have now 

made whole, 
to find the cave must be your 



days on it. Everything with 
the game is superb, except 
mat it is as easy as all the 
other Ultimate games. 

Hans Christian Nilsen 

and Bjorn Tore Eriksen, 

Hamad, Norway. 



When you have collected 
the pieces you will find a 
picture of a wolf on the 
screen. Then you must find 
the cave where the keeper is. 
He will let you pass if you 
have brought all the pieces 
with you, and the game is 
over. 

We solved the game on 
June 28 after spending four 



HAS ANYONE collected all 
four parts of the magic amu- 
let in Sabre Wulf and es- 
caped from the jungle? 

If not, then I am the first. 
On July 1 I finally passed the 
guardian and entered the out- 
er world of the Ultimate 
earth. Jonas Froberg, 

Kungsbacka, 
Sweden. 



change of information on 
software relevant to the lives 
of handicapped people,and to 
promote the database, and 
therefore the software, 
abroad. That is what we have 
been doing successfully for 
non-software products in the 
field. 

As we are currently collect- 
ing and processing infor- 
mation, we would be pleased 
to hear from any of your read- 
ership who may wish to con- 
tribute to BARDSOFT. 

Peter Curran, 

Handicapped Persons 

Research Unit, 

Coach Lane Campus, 

Newcastle upon Tyne 

NE7 7TW. 



The Wizard 

runs in 16K 

A MISTAKE was made in 
the explanation Tor the pro- 
gram The Wizard published 
in the July Sinclair Uier. The 
program will run on the I6K 
Spectrum, not just the 48K 
as stated. 48K owners will be 
able to amalgamate all four 
listings into one, but the 16K 
computer with the instruc- 
tions and large data arrays 
had to be saved separately. 

M Gordon-Kerr, 

Welton, 

N Humberside. 

Colour codes 
explanation 

WHILE EXPERIMENT- 
ING with the attributes I dis- 
covered how to use them in a 
listing. That can be very use- 
ful and can save much time 
and memory. 

To use them press the keys 
as follows: first select E- 
mode; for paper colour press 
any colour key; for ink colour 
CAPS shift then press any 
colour key; for Bright 1 press 
key 9; for Bright press key 
8; for Flash I CAPS shift, 
key 9; for Flash CAPS 
shiflj key 8, 

If you get the dreaded buzz 
the best thing is to delete the 
line and start again. 

B H Neal, 
Abingdon, Oxon. 

mow inters en fkigt IS 



J 



SINCLAIR USER September tm 



IS 



= Letters 



16K Spectrum is an 
endangered species 



WHAT HAS HAPPENED 

to the 16K. Spectrum? The 
animal is rarer than a giant 
panda. After trying 1 1 retail 
outlets in my area I had to 
buy a 48K model, something 
I didn't want to do as I 
couldn't really afford the ex- 
tra £30 and I wanted to fit the 
extra chips to make 48K my- 
self 

I was told in several shops 
that 16K machines are only 
available from Sinclair and 
then you have to wait a while. 
Is Sinclair Research unhappy 
with people buying the small- 
er machine and converting it 
to 48K — thereby saving 
some cash — and conse- 
quently ceased distribution of 
the 16K model? 

After several phone calls to 
Sinclair the only reply I ob- 



tained was the "people aren't 
buying loK Spectrums any- 
more." That is hardly sur- 
prising if they aren't making 
them available. 

David Levett. 

Letchworth, 

Herts. 

Piracy in the 
classroom 

I FEEL I must write about 
home computers and the 
huge software piracy which 
goes on. In my class at school 
there are 26 pupils of which 
17 have computers. I asked 
them if they had ever copied 
a game. AH of them admitted 
they had. I asked them if they 
had ever bought a game and 
to my surprise and horror 
only three had. It's little won- 



der, then, that software com- 
panies are having to merge. I 
am not saying that I have 
never copied a game but at 
least I buy a lot too. I hope 
that this will make all readers 
aware of what we are doing to 
the software industry. The 
next time you load in The 
Key or Ropy-Cat, give a 
thought for the software com- 
pany you are helping to bust. 
Julian Rowland, 
aged 16, 
Wlnsford, 
Cheshire. 

Clean-living 
Trashman 

I AM GLAD to inform you 
that I successfully completed 
Trashman after two hours 
of eye-straining agony play- 



ing the game. 

Do not enter the pub un- 
less you are greatly in need of 
the points as you end up fall- 
ing over with drunkeness. 

R Brown, 

Totley, 

Sheffield, 

More fun from 
the hen-house 

IN REPLY to Harry Lee- 
son's letter in the June issue 
of Sinclair User asking 
whether there is life after lev- 
el 40 in Cbuckie Egg, I can 
confirm life until 64 with a 
score of 1,422,760. I hope 
this encourages him to eat 
more eggs. 

Roy Ricknell, 
Bournemouth, 
Dorset. 







Come _ -j\£ &%?r Some AoVtc^JcamAtr^A doom A»c>)tfilU £ffitfic^ 
-MAT CoUi,pge WftfVauy-^r^rEP Bt&teteHtGr 



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ofeR flwo MP^rtiAlo fife 



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fi£Lpf 



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SINCLAIR USER September 1984 



ACOMPLETE COLOUR MICRO 
WITH NO HIDDEN EXTRAS FOR 

AROUND£499. 



The title of 'genius' is not bestowed 
lightly on man or machine: those: extra- 
ordinary qualities and powers of i ntellcct 
arc rare, 

Einstein had them in full measure. 
And si j now does the new micro 
computer from Tatung, designed and 
built in Britain and appropriately 
named - Einstein 

Einstein was created by Tatung, one": 
o! the world's leading electronic com p j i u l s 
and given the capacity and the remarkable 
capabilities to compete with computers costing far more 

Its simplicity of operation will appeal to the first time buyer 
and to businessmen who don't want to lose staff to expensive and 
time-consuming training courses. At the &ame time its operating 
system is both powerful and sophisticated to satisfy the most 
jdvanced requirements, 

For those who have outgrown their existing primitive 
machine, the speed and capacity of the 500K built-in disc drive will 
make all the difference. And for the small businessman, the ability 
to store and retrieve all information in seconds will be 8£ important 
as Einstein's built-in flexibility which allows the system to grow 
as the business develops 

BUILT IN 80K MEMORY 
Total memory capacity SOK RAM divided into 64K 'useri memory 
and 16K for colour graphics production 

BUILT-IN DISC DRIVE 
5£X)K 3' J compact floppy disc 
drive. Potential for massive 
extra storage with a second 
5Q0K disc drive internally 

BUILT-IN 16 COLOUR 
GRAPHICS High resolution 
graphic animation from 
32 sprites (definable shapes), 
16 vivid colours. 





BUILT-IN EXPANSION PORTS 
Connection to both TV and optional colour mimitor, axm 
printers and other computers via RS232C interface. Also twin 
joystick ports, 8 bit user port, exclusive Tatung Pipe. 

BUILT-IN FLEXIBILITY 
Powerful Crystal BASIC. Multi -lingual plus ability to run CP/M t 

BUILT-IN VERSATILE SOUND 
Sound synthesiser facility includes chromatic music with three 
voices. Substantial speaker with volume control. Provision for 
speech synthesiser, 

Einstein has them all. Feature for feature, it meets the needs 
of the novice and the experienced operator, both at home and in 
the office. 

Einstein, designed and built in Britain, is a complete colour 
microcomputer with no hidden extras. 

And tor under £500 is sheer genius. 

tiinstein 

SHEER GENIUS: AT WORK, AT HOME 



DIAL 100 AN D ASK FOR FREEFONE EINSTEIN FOR YOUR NEAREST STOCKIST 



■tCP/M u j trade murk of Dtgiui Research toe. 




Ultimate Play the Game, 

The Green, 

Ashby de la Zouch, 

Leicestershire 



"I COULDN'T BELIEVE THE SPEED 

YOU'RE THE BEST BY FAR" 

(Paul Singleton, Cheshire) 

Thanks far ail your letters, from ovei 40 eauiimes Well continue to try w SEND OUT TOUR PROGRAMS ON THE DAT WE GET TOUR ORDER, And we'll send you - 
FREE - oiz JaLest catalogue ol Spectrum best We're the only eoriipany to play every single game, choose the best, leave out the rest - and [hen quote all ihe reviews, too 1 
ALL GAMES WORK WITH KEYBOARD CONTROL AND JOTSTK AS SHOWN, UK prices include VAT: export prices are the same (This 15% surcharge helps US to 
get foreign ciders to you very fast indeed. ) Call 01-789 B546. any time, to order by Access o? Visa card from any country where 'your own laws allow thia. 

The CURRAH SPEECH SYNTHESIZER is very popular. If you dost buy one. the 'Curtail compatible' games work perfectly well IE you do own Currah Speech, it brings 
the games to life m the most amazing way 1 



ALL PROGRAMS REQUIRE 48K 



TUir UTTf 17 'f^ioutiy addictive, fttruggled with it for 
X lUi IlULlIk hours. The graphic* are axcmllenl... a vary 

infoyahle game ™ (PCGamet). Scott Adams has tmaJy produced rus first graphic 
adventure The ten is as witty and involving as ever - but tine 1 graphics really bring it Id 
Me ¥ou don't even due when you Hre tailed! (so you canc^rry on'). NO STK 
! Adventure Int'lj £9,95 

VV VJIVDJCj 1 IlliwUlJ games of S4... iacmUbly 

addictive, playahte game" (Crash). 'WORSE THINGS HAPPEN AT SEA' as you try 
to lake your cargo ship from port to port before it sinks Full-screen animated graphics hs 
you search the ship for leaks. On later loumeys. watch cut as the ship wanders off course, 
too . a the engine overhead Great tunes, too STK Curscr/Interfacea 
:Silvarsolti 15.95 

"Sta te-of the ■ art Spectrum soft war* 
... the graphic* an superb" (Crash). 
'Poteibly even Ultimate* matt Impressive gam*" (PopComp¥fkly). Beautiful, 
sealty wonderful jungle maie tot you to eaptore Avoid the charging rhinos sbppeTy 
snakes . waitings bears and all the other animated animals. Search for the tour pieces of 
ihe Satae Wuli masi - then see what happens. It wiD take you a very long tune 
STK Kernp5totVCursor/ihterfaee2 (Ulcimarel IS.9S 



SABRE WULF 



TORNADO LOW LEVEL 



Not a flight 

srmulaiean 

it's easier to operate and more earning ton 1 Flyyouj awing wing supersonic tor nadoiyou 
can watici from above) Fly low to wipe out enemy targets, land, jifueJ, take-ofl The 3D 
3 you fly ova is the best we've seen - and your radar actually shows a map, not 



THE 

GRAPHICS 



TASWORD 2 



just btotel All the "inula oi real flying STK : Interface! (Vortex) (5.9b 

LORDS OF MIDNIGHT 

ARE SUPERB.... it* obviously going tab* an outstanding JVCDHV " 
(PopCompWkryl. Most elaborate adventure yet as you explore the land of Midnight 
Vtw see it only through the eyes of the characters you control You will see only what they 
see iron-, where ihey stand '32,000 different we ws Choice of two adventures The whole 
famify ca>n play by controlling one character each 32-page illustrated mar.ua] PRIZE, tool 
STLX: Nome (Beyond! ISM 

IF YOU HAVE A SPECTRUM, AND 
WISH TO DO WORD PROCESSING ON IT, 
YOU COULD HARDLY DO SETTER THAN TO USE TASWORD Z" 
iPenCompNewi). "An excellent program ... it you ha ve been looking lot a word 
processor, thao iook no further" (Crash). "Without a doubt, the beat utility J 
ban it ri tw e d lor the Spectrum " (HomeComp Wkly}. i' -s. as everyone agrees, the 
very best word processor lor the Spectrum Try stand see Jittcrcdrive compatible NO STDC 
iTasmani £1190 

"I've nam had to much fun with a utility 
program " iZXCompl. "A powerful graphica aid. 
hs potable tor even a beginner to dra w reasonable pictures" fS. User}, "tt 
you've been looking tor a Spectrum graphic! aid this teem* like On* Of the 
beat" (PopCompWkly). "One of the moat outalandiag programs Tww toast this 
year" (TrSpec). 1 you want to draw you need PAINTBOX. STK Eetnpston/any airaot 
iPisfix&Plonfiri £7.70 

DUNGEON BUILDER :££^» 

really »™»ftnr bit la the facility to draw the picture*. ., outstanding " (Home 
CompWaiy). "An excellent graphic adventure garnet crea tor which timplifiet 
She generation of even the mott elaborate adventures" (Crash}. With the I SK of 
pyre machine-code you can wrr.e ycur own graphic adventures 2% years in the making' 
NO ST1X .iDreaiLi EB-95 

niUTIUTPAT P 9 THE BIST SPECTRUN 
UlViilllsRUW £t SPREADSHEET: MlCRODRWECOMPATIBLti 
"The easiest program of all to aat... the manual is by far the beat'' 
PopComp Wkly). "It stands Out from the tett... It is vetj difficult to go wrong" 
iPeraCompNewt). "A eery powerful tool" (S.Uaorj. The teoty Spectrum spreadsheet 
entirely in m/code Up to 500Ci celts Print nut OK Bult-in bar-chart routma NO STK 
(MicrcspheTFi 



PAINTBOX 



SOFTWARE SUPERMARKET 



VISA/ACCESS CALL 01-789 8546 (24hre) 



The 
animated 



JACK & THE BEANSTALK 

graphics get better and better i As Jack, you must search the castta, without wakmg the 
giant. Watch out [or the creatures and rrund where you step BUT ■ cast you even dimb the 
beanstalk first, without being eaten by the bugs' Very talkative beautifullydjawn game 
STK Kempsion/Any cursor CMUtAHSFRCHQEjTriorl tSM 

CURRAH SPEECH 

teach your Spectrum to say any word or sentence you lute - sn English Free demo cassette 
and talking adventure If you wish to use a pysuck as well as Cutrah Speech, you will also 



Makes your Spectrum tali 

Use it. with talking games, and/or 



need the COBBAN SLOT expandable mothetboar: 



; lets you plug any two things into 



your Spectrum wiuVwithnut Interface 1 CTJMAH SPEECH Qs.9L CUMUU1 SLOT 
MR 



SUMMER SUPER SAVERS 



BUR BOWER (Artie) HOWM.9S SAVEE2.M 

"A shuwg example of animated graphics" (S.Progs) 

THEHOHBtTllUll»on»H«i«) MOW £11.96 SAVXO.0C 

The mas: powerful compotes game yei mveawd' (Camp Wkly) 

IIJUnCliDIEa|Softw»rtPTo|«til NOWH.95 SAVE £1.00 

'An absolutely fantastic gams" !ZX Contp) 

PENETRATOB iMeiboura* Ho«i| NOW £4,9* SAVE £200 

The classic gispfuc 'Scramble' 

THEPfBAMmfJantHrl BOW£4S0 SAVEEl.M 

'An essentia! addition to any coilsctiQfi ' (FeisCompNgws} 

SPLATdnwintiwI N0WC4M SAVE £1.50 

'One of the most addxtivs games '(CAVG) 



To i SOFTWARE 5UPERMAAEET, 17 Howard! lam* Uddun 5W15 BJflJ. 

if you do not want to cut this magazine, write your order out carefully on plain paper 
and quote this number - SUM 

I own a ...K computer which is a SPECTRUM femckjee a cbeqiie/PO mada 
payable to Software Supermarket OR Ch nrflc my VIB Av ACGESS/EUHOCABD/ 

MASTERCAHD number [""IT I I Mill 



Signature 

Please write cleaily If we can tread it, you won't get it 

Name 

Address 



Phone, if any, 


^Btcodfl 

iv case of query 


' 


PROGRAM NAME 


Price 




i 




t 




L 








E 




L 


POSTAGE 

AND 

PACKING 


UK AddMpMfrWOrd*! 


: ' 


EUROPE AdJSSplcirfficr.Frsgrini 


£ 


OL'TSIDE E'JROPE Add £1 lor «adi progEun airn*4 


£ 


OyrSDXE'u'ROra. ADD £1 TO TOTAL TnTiI 
FOR REatSTE Rr [.■ MAIL ' u * AL ' 


L 



SINCLAIR USER September 1984 



19 



Unbeatable value 



Almost unbeatable games. 



«K SPECTRUM 



M 



r*yh*£. 



£&1 






>«■« 



$gSS5* 



4> 



CRIBBAGE 

Available on *te 

Sjpettrum for ftefinpl time 

CntBBAlGE ib an esCDflenl server, 

ol [he popular card -gamr? AsweMas 

Supert? grapmes, the game indwKS W 

rules and [having irlE!ruaiori5.trjoeff»f 

wttft iviomalic sconny and scce 

re- me* 

Playing aganst rhecompuler, »* 

eKDBiWicsd playef and noves hod 

CHBBAGE an entertaining, and 

challenging gamp 



■'.■■ 

■ I & I 

IUDHATTEH 

"I must gu B*s place Wiefl be tare my 

guests artm: wails Itw MADHATTEH. 

Help run coflad Ins tea tone mats tor r*s 

Un-Birthday Party ' Bui waKJl c«1 lor 

IhDSB mice' he- warns, 'and keep away 

Irnm mose vacuum; cteaners 1 '' 

r_«*i line ffw H AOH ATTEfl wil be m tor 

a Cusy aflemoon - <mII everything be 

raaGyinnms 1 

GAMMA 

SOFTWAH E 



one 

SLAYER 

In jour ssarcfttor Thorg. 
leader of the Death Moon Tribe of 
Ores you must tm Ins the Magic 
Runesword needed to d«erioy htm and 
then seek qui 1hetf undengrowid 
Swnghrjfct somewhere m Hie 
Savage Lands 

Fun of BucrtBmeni. Ihs 
adventure will push you 
totwlimtoiyourwits 
and inle*gBnoe 









campbell systems for spectrum 48k N 

Can YOUR Database 
Handle This? 



1 i'fil.. 



PROFESSIONAL FILE MANAGEMENT, DATA RETRIEVAL AND PRESENTATION 
ANY ADDRESS LISTS, INVENTORY, CUSTOMER OR PERSONNEL RECORDS... 



IM ASTERFILE can! 



Microdrive commands included; 32,42 or 51 
characters per line!; 26 fields per record; 
Unrestricted number of records; 36 user defined 
Display/Print formats; Fast search & sort facilities; 
Around 32K of RAM available for data! 



NOW with IMF-PRINT and MASTERFILE version 09, 



you can format your data for a full width printer! 

Works with most popular printer interlaces. Fully variable report widths (over 100 columns) and 
lengths. Powerful numeric editing and column totals. Almost no reduction in space available for 
data. Many mare products available. Send SAE for details* 




j 

Li 



MASTERFILE version 09 

MF-PRINT 

MASTERFILE with MF-PRINT 



£K Aft ■"' pnw" 1 ** tnaikd im ttmv hy mwt 

Prki's mriudf VAT (tint posMge within I mw 
£ A OZ New Address: Campbell Systems 

(Dept.SU) 57 Trap's Hill, Loughlon, 
£ 1 9.95 Esbcx. [GlO 1TD. England 01-508 5058 



cs 



» 



SINCLAIR USER Stpumtxr 1984 



= Hardware World 



Interface 2 alternative 
high quality, lower price 



THE RAM TURBO joystick 
interface for rhe Spectrum by 
Fleet Electronics is what In- 
terface 2 should have been. 
As well as having two joystick 
ports, as on Interface 2, it 
also has a ROM cartridge 
slot j again like Interface 2, In 
addition, one of the joystick 
ports can be used for Kemp 
s ton -compatible games and 
the other, if set up at switch- 
on, can be used as a Protek 
(cursor) compatible port. 

The rear connector is a full 
Spectrum size as opposed to 
the Interface 2 ZX-S1 size 
and the area surrounding the 
joystick port is big enough to 
lake a standard D-type joys- 
tick connector. 

To prevent users fitting 
the interface with the power 
on — the most certain wav to 



blow up your Spectrum — it 
incorporates a 'Spectrum pro- 
tect adaptor 1 a loop of plastic 
which covers the power sock- 
et on the Spectrum so that 
the lead must be removed 
before fitting. The only diffi- 



culty experienced with the in- 
terface was when trying to 
use a joystick with two inde- 
pendent fire buttons. When 
the second button was 
pressed the computer 
crashed. 




Programmable interface 
wins praise for Protek 



THE NEW SWITCHABLE 
joystick interface for the 
Spectrum from Protek can 
make games playing very 
much easier. AH that needs to 
be done is to plug it into the 
back of the Spectrum, con- 
nect a standard joystick and 



load the game. A switch at 
the back is used to select ei- 
ther Protek (cursor), Kemp- 
ston or Sinclair — 6, 7, 8, 9, 
— keys and you can switch 
between them while the game 
is playing. 
The interface is, as is all 




too common with add-ons, 
dead-ended, so it must be the 
last add-on fitted. As with the 
Turbo interface, it is liable to 
crash if used with a twin fire 
button joystick. Its main dis- 
advantage is that in the Pro- 
tek position the top row of 
keys is disabled while in the 
Sinclair position only the 
6,7,8,9 and keys are dis- 
abled, which could make 
some games difficult to play. 
The switch would have to be 
moved, the key pressed, and 
the switch returned to its 
original position. 

Despite those difficulties, 
which should not affect most 
users, the interface is easy to 
use and covers nearly all of 
the games on the market. It 
costs £19.95 and Protek is at 
1A, Young Square, Bnice- 
field Industrial Park, Living- 
stone, West Lothian, 
Scotland. 



If you are thinking of 
buying Interface 2> the RAM 
Turbo interface is better-de- 
signed and better value. It 
costs £22.95 plus £1 p&p 
from Ram Electronics (Fleet) 
Ltd, 106 Fleet Road, Fleet, 
Hampshire GUI 3 SPA. 

Kit makes 
loading easy 

EASYLOAD from Maplin 
Electronics is one of those 
add-ons which displays the 
inherent hold tat ions of the 
Spectrum, St fits between the 
Spectrum and a tape recorder 
and obviates the need to swap 
leads when LOADing and 
SAVEing. It also filters the 
signal to improve recordings 
and solves the difficulties 
which can occur if you have 
an AGC on your recorder. 

It is sold only in kit form 
and is not really for the nov- 
ice but with patience con- 
struction is fairly 
straight forwards The instruc- 
tions are thorough and in- 
clude a resistor code chart for 
beginners. They lead you 
through the assembly step by 
step and also have a section 
which shows how to test it 
before use. 

A set of additional cassette 
leads is supplied with the kit 
and s once built, it can be 
fitted and almost forgotten. 
Its only disadvantage is that it 
is battery-powered but a re- 
chargable baneTy can be used 
and a socket is incorporated 
to take the Spectrum power 
supply for charging. 

At £9.95 the kit is very 
good value and essential if 
you have cassette problems. 
A suitable case is available for 
an extra £5, Contact Maplin 
Electronic Supplies Ltd., PO 
Box 3, Rayleigh. Essex SS6 
8LR or any of its shops. 

»ww hardware on page 23 



SINCLAIR USER September 1984 



21 




COURSEWINHER 

]~he Punters Computer Program 

i i II KMiM'JS.VliK jllijwsnsu Hiusf ihf piwcr iif vinur 
ranpUKT rii- j*ri itic ofyi-' on the hnnkiruhcr. 
• COURSEWINNER contnu ■ (tat»x lull ...i iudoJ 
LnJomutiun ™ aJJ l!nnii^h jskI SoXlidO rt;H HMfntl 
E'tu ren leading mdsevv and irjinerv, and elfev( <il '(he 
draw I* derailed forweteowne. 
Ilw mi«innjin.n on bedii{ikyBdcnthe*cmnj!«y time. 
■ llie pmpram analvnei ihesc furtun itimbincd wi(h (he KHlili 
al [be l-isr ihrti- ■iuiLrn;%L stirring puce and wtighl Ljrned 

♦ COURSEWTN'NER is simple and ^uitk to me, vl-i vi-rv jviwerluJ. 

# Booed nidi Jul Jjled msinjctw)n honkJcl 

Price £12-50 all inclusive: lumipiati: WSPATI it BHTOKKOFPOST) 

Yv;i:L hk- I < ■[ 

SftClKI'M -rati -.BBC Bl,{X),WMODORIiM. 1 1K.-V * >N, AICT Mlrlk. WARMNK 

POOLSWINHER 

The Uhmiate Pools Prediction Program 

# Pf TOLS WIN N ER n (he most iflphisi juitoJ pocri?i pfrdictKjn , 
jid ever pmduued. It cumes ouTlplcU- v. uli in nwn missive 
JacaEMK. 

• Can be used for Sirumdiaiw*, Draws. Aw*ys and Hemes.. 

• The database cxuimiiK over 20000 ffUK*)t> 10 years league 
football: I( U,|*iilS4 auHMTytKitlly m rtsuJis come in. 

• TTk proLiK prediction formula caji he *l b¥ ihe usif . This 
alfcr*sdevdtipnienr tit' ytmrown unique method. 

# Package is tomplrCe *iih ptflStrtm. dauhast and detailed 
umrUi.[JLHi booklet 

Price £15,00 all Inclusive [MMEDUith dispa n ir ki ivknoi pqsi 

Avaibhlr S*n SPECTRUM i+HK : . ZA8 1 1 1*K •. KH< II , « X i.UMOUORE M, IJRAt K IN 

APPLE Itj'lfc, ATARI .:<WKi. 

Available fn.mn tkalcrb or direct I return <4 pnsd i fn*t. 






^ 

%>* 



J7 Councillor Lane, Cheadle, Cheshire Phone: 061-42K 7425 





Spectrosim 

Robin Helmer 

Do you want to program your 
48K Spectrum in machine code 
but think that it is too difficult? 

Let Spectrosim help yon! 



Whether at home or at college, this package, 
with its bookie! and tape, will help you cross 
the threshold between BASIC and machine 
code, by allowing you to write in assembler 
language, £7.95 

A variable from bookshops and major stores or in case 
of difficu ity from: 

Shiva Publishing Limited, Freepost, 
64 Welsh Row, Nantwich, Cheshire CW5 5 BR 

Please supply copy<ies} of Spectrosim 

A cheque fori to 'Shiva Publishing Ltd* is enclosed 

For payment by Access/Visa/ Bar clay card /Am. hxpress 

Card No. Signature ,, , , 

Name- ....,.....'... 

Address , , 



Problems associated with 

Sinclair ownership.. 




to man)' a problem, Sinclair* like most 
than a lew of their own. 
them gathering dust when nol in use. 
*hen Mum's cleaning the lounge, 
them hts affections, or even ensure Utey 
at ieasi "arrive'' safely when Dad decides 
to take them down to the local. 
We st P A S. realising these needs, haw 
now developed a range ol ihree superbh 
made protective cases specifically designed 
far Sinclair; and the like Each case is 
constructed from Solid Resin Fibreboaid 
has a In Sly protective foam lining, 
a carrying handle, interna! retaining strap, 
i double snap listening lid and a pro thai 
delies even Sint lair logic. 



i t\ to 1 



Please h-ttp, I am a lan( sufleruig Micro owner add with I 
(Hi r:)us# ...„ — ■■■ „■,..„■■■■,■„ MUl/i (tick jpproprwrt tan 

I ticol [itcTil liicTil 
I enclose ctieque/P 0. toltawtueflf | 

NAMF 



PAS COMPUTER PftODUCTS LIMITED 
UNIT IS, CENTRAL TRADING ESTATE, 
STftlNES. MIDDLESEX VH 18 AUl. 

Telephone Staines |STD 07B4) 62781 



INAMF ■ 

ADDRESS - I 

II htm ilt» ? i «tfi \v ifrmi 1 ia n^uirai - Ha mi M 



■ USE m/i T*lu M«;ms - ffSl. R Sp«t?urn Ok t CGI MS USE HC/1 li*es Micrn'i - VIC2Q. BBC B' ConumdorE 6( Teiss Ti/M, fine I OragMi 32. Cahwr Seme, i 



Shjrpe H?7rni flora LltcMM Lfni. !*hJj CtHoui JU«i i IjDdJtt . lean Alum USEHC/aiijnbs aflaplwlutakeanyal'lie atxvsampiitEHiMd^aiinijriJtceisoiiesii/Lhai tapeRtLMnf [>'in«i Bft 



22 



SINCLAIR USER September 1984 



Impr 



P Hardware World = 



AMONG hardware releases 
promised by dK' ironies is a 
new version of its Spectrum 
light pen. The pen is sup- 
plied with software For both 
16K and 48K versions and is 
a vast improvement on the 
old version. 

As with the majority of 
light penis, there is an inter- 
face which connects to the 
computer, in this case the 
inevitable black box which 
fits into the user port and 
which is dead-ended, and a 
pen which plugs into the top. 
The interface contains a 
minimum of electronics; all 
the work is performed by the 
software. A TV picture is 
made up by a spot of light 
which zig-zags down the 
screen. By timing how long it 
takes from the start of the 
scan to when it is picked up 
by the pen, the software can 
determine the position. 

The instructions show how 
you can use it in your pro- 
grams to choose from a menu 
and give you the address of 



the 96 bytes of code needed. 
In addition, the software con- 
rains a drawing program 
which can be used to create 
pictures. 

The program offers a num- 
ber of options to draw lines, 
arcs, boxes and circles, fill 
areas, change colour s, insert 
text and LOAD and SAVE 
pictures to tape. On a 48K 
machine up to four screens 
can be kept in memory at 



once and then recalled, singly 
or one after another, to pro- 
vide limited animation. The 
acid test of a light pen is 
when trying to draw freehand 
and thai it does remarkably 
well, The straight lines are 
straight and the pen draws 
where it is pointing. 

The only disadvantage is 
the lack of error-checking on 
some of the commands, such 
as when drawing an arc 




Programmable interface 
for rapid fire freaks 



NEW JOYSTICK interfaces 
abound this month. One such 
is the programmable inter- 
face from Page Computing. 
It is of the type where you 
have to push a key, move the 
joystick, release the joystick 
and then release the key. 
That has to be done for the 
normal four positions, again 



for the four positions plus 
fire> again for the diagonals, 
again for the diagonals plus 
fire, and finally the fire but- 
ton alone. All of that can be 
done with the game running, 
as the keyboard can still be 
used. 

As mentioned in previous 
reviews of programmable in- 




terfaces the programming se- 
quence leaves much to be 
desired; while it does the job 
it was designed to do, it is 
rather fiddly. Pressing up to 
three keys at once and mov- 
ing the joystick at the same 
time is not the easiest feat. 

The one really useful fea- 
ture of the interface is a rapid 
fire switch. When it is put in 
the up position it simulates 
the fire-button being held 
down and that is very useful 
for the zap-everything-in- 
sight type of game. 

At £26 plus £1 p&p the 
interface will be useful if you 
do not mind the time and 
hassle of programming it. 
Page Computing is at 28 Bur- 
wood Grove, Hayling Island, 
Hampshire POll 9DS. 



pen 

which goes off" the screen 
when you are dumped back 
into Basic, You can return to 
the picture without losing it 
but it is annoying. 

If you aj:c looking for an 
accurate light pen you could 
do far worse than this pen 
which sells for £19,95, from 
dK'tronics Ltd, Unit 6, Shire 
Hill Industrial Estate, Saf- 
fron Walden, Essex CBll 
3AQ and computer shops. 

Expansion 

made easy 

THE NEW M Slot from Cur- 
rah, noted for its ^Speech, is 
designed to allow two dead- 
ended add-ons to be fitted at 
the same -time. The unit 
plugs into the back of the 
Spectrum and has two ex- 
tender cards, one from the 
back and the other vertically, 
for the add-ons. 

In that way you can use the 
^Speech and joystick inter- 
face at the same time or, for 
full-size keyboard users, it 
permits a Kempston printer 
interface to be fitted easily. 

The vertical slot may 
prove to be of limited use 
and., if you have ever exper- 
ienced ZX-81 RAM pack 
wobble > you may find it bet- 
ter to use a flexible connector 
if you have a number of add- 
ons to fn. Nevertheless the 
MSIot has many uses. 

Costing £14.95, it is avail- 
able for Currah Computer 
Components Ltd, Graythorp 
Industrial Estate, Hartlepool, 
Cleveland TS25 2DF. 




SINCLAIR USER September 1984 



23 



A HIGH RESOLUTION MONITOR 

FOR THE SINCLAIR QL 

ATA LOWLY £299.95 (incvat). 




This is the much acclaimed JVC colour 

monitor from Opus. 

And it gives Sinclair QL owners a lot more than 

just excellent high rest >lution. 

As you know, the QL gives out informant >n 

in 8 5 characters on the screen instead of the standard 

80 characters. 

And the lass of those five characters means 

that ordinary monitors simply can't show you the 

whole picture. 

Opus, however, have overcome this problem 

by adapting the JVC, via a special interface and cable, 

so that the QL can now work 100% efficiently 

on it- 
All lor the lowly price of just £2 99-95 includ- 
ing VAX carriage and , of course, a years fu II guy rantee. 



>nu> Supplies Lid.. iSSCamberwdl Road, London SE5 QBE 
F1cj.sc semi me 

High Resolution Colour Monitors) ai 
299-95 each (inc. VAT) 



I aldose a cheque for£ -Or pteascdebii my credit caarf 

mm with ihe amouni ol .i My Access Bafdaycaid 

■; please ticks no. is. . — , = 



Yon can order it by post by filling in the 
coupon below and sending it u.r. ( )pus Supplies Ltd.. 
158 CamberweU Road, London SE5 OEE. (You'll 
receive ii within ten days by courier service.) Or you 

can telephone 01-701 H668 and pay by credit card 

Alternatively y< )u can buy at < >ur sin >wn h >m 
between 9-00 -6.00pm Monday to Friday, 
or 9.00 1 . 3 0pm Saturday. 



MOim WiUvKI N< 1 


! ■'.: 2 Hipli Rt^Miluinwi 


Hi;v)1.| Tins 


T-Klh s, |~M Pixels 


CRT 


ir 


SUPPLY 


22H *40v W (XHV* 


F-.H.T. 


Minimum W %k\ Ma x imum .' J: SU 


VIDEO BAND WIDTH 


I0MK* 


DISPLAY 


H? dutacten by ±*> lines 


sli npnxH 


u 41mm 


i VIDEO 


m . I ri. input 


SYNC 


Sepjr,i ic S-i nt < Ml h.G. ft 1 


I Ml l.:%\i 1 ONTROLS 


f jn nit switch and brlghtne** cnnin il 



N.itnc 



Address 



Telephone 




ZX-81 Software Scene 



Four from Fawkes 



GAMES COMPENDIUMS 
are usually poor value for 
money — if a game is not 
good enough to stand on its 
own (hen it is probably not 
worth buying as part of a tape 
with four or five such medio- 
cre programs. Gamestape 
One from Fawkes Comput- 
ing is, however, an honour- 
able exception. Four games 
are provided, all for the ZX- 
31 16K, and although none 
are earth-shattering in con- 
cept or programming, they 
are all of a reasonable stan- 
dard, and represent excellent 
value for money at £5.95 for 
the lot. 

The first game, Dodge-it, 
is a variant of the elderly 
arcade game Racer in which 
you had to drive a car around 
a series of concentric tracks 
eating up dots and avoiding 
other cars. 

Dodge-it replaces cars with 
monsters and includes four 
different speed levels, from 
easy to suicidal. The fastest 
rate is vile, 

There is also a strawberry 
which appears at random and 
which provides bonus points 
if you pass over it, though the 



gap left by the strawberry can 
be used by the monster chas- 
ing you, which renders the 
game increasingly difficult 
the more bonuses you ac- 
quire. 

In Trojan Dragon you 
are the defender of a castle 
which is under attack by an 
evil wizard. The wizard sends 
his men in two directions — 
some try to get into the castle 
through the drawbridge, 
others climb the back of a 
presumably wooden dragon 
to storm the battlements, 




While all that is going on, 
your Own reinforcements are 
trying to enter, and you must 
open and lower the draw- 
bridge to let them pass while 
making the bad guys fall in 
the moat. At the same time 
you must keep an eye on the 
battlements and fire arrows at 
the invaders. 

The combination of action 
at the top and bottom of the 
screen makes Trojan Dragon 
a hard game to play even at 
the easiest of the three levels. 
Instead of increasing the 
speed of the game, the higher 
levels of Trojan Dragon make 
it difficult to distinguish 
friend from foe. It is the wea- 
kest game of the quartet, but 
nevertheless enjoyable and 
competently written. 

Death Trap is an arcade- 
strategy game, in which you 
move round the screen at- 
tempting to avoid the black 
squares which the computer 
fills in adjacent to you. 
Eventually you will be 
trapped and must pass onto a 
black square, so the secret is 
to try to ensure that there is 
plenty of white space all over 
the screen. You can also ere- 



Playing the numbers 



VALUE FOR MONEY is 
not a concept usually associ- 
ated with gambling, except 
by inveterate gamblers. Amid 
the welter of Pools prediction 
programs one stands out as 
candidly admitting that the 
calculations performed by the 
computer have nothing what- 
soever to do with team per- 
formanceSj, goal difference, or 
the potential stamina of 
Glenn Hoddle's left knee. It 
is also, incidentally, very ex- 
pensive, 

Poolster, by Naigram 
Software, introduces the con- 
cept of number affinity. The 
theory is that some numbers 
have a special attraction to 
other numbers and that cer- 



tain numbers on the Pools 
coupon stand a better chance 
of yielding a score-draw if 
their associated numbers also 
win. Naigram Software has 
gone to enormous lengths to 
construct tables of these ap- 
parent statistical anomalies, 
in order to predict likely se- 
lections on the Treble 
Chance. 

The program takes an ex- 
tremely long time to come up 
with the magic numbers, 
even in fast mode — if you 
really believe in of all this 
mumbo-jumbo, then you will 
not mind the wait. 

Others, less inspired by the 
cosmic effect upon the mo- 
rale of Arsenal when playing 



at number eleven on the cou- 
pon, will probably prefer to 
use the old pinprick method, 
which has a far greater affin- 
ity with football than Pool- 
ster, in that whenever you 
lose you feel sick as a parrot. 
If you fancy the idea of 
number affinity, you can ob- 
tain Poolster from Naigram 
Software, cfo Soho Synth 
House, ISA Soho Square, 
London WlV 5FB. Naigram 
says it would like all winners 
to send in 10 per cent of their 
winnings. Chance would be a 

fine thing. Cftrit Bourne 

POOLSTER 
Memory: 1SK 
Price: £13.00 
Gilbert Factor: 3 



ate your own maze as you 
play. 

While it is clearly the sim- 
plest of the four games, and 
easy enough to program in 
Basic, Death Trap is a fast, 
all -machine-code game with 
two skill and three speed lev- 
els, and requires both strate- 
gic thought and quick 
reactions to survive for long. 
Finally, a full text adven- 
ture is provided, The Tab- 
let* of Hippocrates. 
Hippocrates was the first 
'modern' doctor, and his lost 
tablets are supposed to con- 
tain a cure for cancer. It is 
your task to find them, using 
the usual two-word com- 
mands as ,you explore forest 
clearings, underground pas- 
sages, and a cathedral. With 
about 35 locations the adven- 
ture is not of great length. 
The problems, however, are 
difficult and ZX-81 adven- 
ture buffs will no doubt be 
grateful for a new challenge. 
Although the size of the 
game is limited by the use of 
Basic, there have been so few 
adventures released in recent 
months for the machine that 
any competently written pro- 
gram is welcome. Indeed, the 
ZX-81 is better suited to ad- 
ventures than to arcade 
games, and large adventures 
can be squeezed in using ma- 
chine-code and compression 
techniques. If Spectrum pro- 
grammers can fit in over 200 
locations then ZX-Sl writers 
should be able to manage at 
least 70. 

Games* ape One is good 
value for money and presents 
a thoughtful variety of games 
with something to please ev- 
eryone. It can be obtained 
from Fawkes Computing, 41 
Wolfridge Ride, Alveston nr 
Bristol BS12 2RA. 



Chris Boitmt 



GAMESTAPE ONE 

Memory; 16K 
Price: £5.96 
Gilbert Factor: 7 



SINCLAIR USER September 1984 



25 




The DATA PEN lighfpen enables 
you to create high resolution 
pictures and technical layouts 
directly on your TV. screen The 
accompanying software allows 
you to draw any shape or filled 
area you w ish , to pixel 
accuracy, in full colour and the 
results may be utilised within 
your own programs, e.g. for 
an i motion , or to i I lusfrare your 
title pages. At just £29 inclusive, 
the Data pen tightpen package 
represents superb va lue - just 
look at the actual screen 
photographs and you will agree 
that this must be the best value 
tor money on the market. 



• Incorporates features not provided 
with other pens. 

• Push □ utton o pera f ion on pen - no 
need to use keyboard 

• Works under any lighting conditions. 

• Plots to pixel accuracv- 

• 20 pre-defined commands allow 
plotting of geometric shapes, 
including triangle, lines, circles, etc, 
text, or user-defined characters 

SendcnequeorP.O for£29.D0to:Depl. SU1 
ty askofyout loeoi computer shop. Send 5. A E 



A QUALITY LIGHTPEN 

for use with the SPECTRUM computer 

pl U5" 3 SOFTWARE 
PROGRAMS 

• Routines and ideas tor your 
own progroms. (Menus, 
ga mes. m usi e, etc.] 

• User-defined graphics 
creation program. 

• Superb full colour drawing 
program as illustrated in 
these actual screen 
photographs, 




• Uses all paper and Ink colours. 

• A screen grid may be fumed on and 
off. at will, to assist drawing. 

• Flexible erase capability. 

• All drawings can be saved to tape for 
further use, 

• Plugs in direct- no batteries, ad ditionat components, or adjustments needed. 

• Ha ndbook.pl us printout of routines for use In your own programs. , 



DATAPEN MICffOTECHNOLOGV LIMITED. K ingscfef e Rood OVERTON, HonlS RG25 3JB 025*770488 

lex details, LirjMpemanawflwafepreaisQdvaiiabiGSwBBCB. Dragon cbm .64ond vie -zo 



KERIMOW SOFTWARE SERVICES LTD 



NOW 



BRITAIN'S LEADING SOFTWARE LIBRARY WITH THE NATIONWIDE 

SERVICE THROUGHOUT THE U.K. IS OFFERING VOU THE CHANCE OF 

LIFE MEMBERSHIP FOR ONLY £5. 



A Low cost weekly hire of Arcade Games, Adventures, Utilities, Languages, Compilers & Business Programs, 

^k Program hiring from only 80p (plus p&p). 

• Postage & packing costs include postage both ways, simply affix the pre-paid label provided on the package 
and pop it into your nearest post box no need to visit your post office. 

A New titles constantly being added monthly. 

A Purchase new programs at discount prices, 

A Return of post service using first class post. 

JOIN today by clipping the coupon below or send £1 .50 for a copy of our catalogue {refundable 
upon joining) and see why more SPECTRUM owners are joining The Kernow Software Library. 



Ves, please enrol m« as a member of The Kernow Software Libtary and 

rush me by return of post, my catalogue Si selection sheet. I enclose my 
Life Membership Fee at tb.00 

Please send me your Spectrum Catalogue. I enclosfl my £ t .50 fine pSi.pl 
which I understand will be refunded Id me upon joining. 



Name 

AcfcfevM 



$0rtd to: 

KERNOW SOFTWARE LIBRARY 

(DEPT SU) 
55 ELIOT DRIVE, ST. GERMANS, 
SALTASH, CORNWALL PL 12 5NL 



Post Code 



26 



J 



? 



SINCLAIR USER September 1SS4 



FOLLOW OUR LEAD 

FOR THE 

RIGHT CONNECTIONS 



MICRO DRIVE 
EXTENSION LEAD 

This is an 8" version of the micro 16 way 
drive lead. Sinclair's lead is only 4" long 
and for many applications this may not 
be long enough. It enables you to space 
the micro drive much further away from 
Interface I. 



56 WAY RIBBON 
CONNECTOR 

This is an extension cable that enables 

Spectrum peripherals to be distanced 

from the computer. 

It is supplied 9" in length and will allow 

mate or female connections to be made 

to the computer. 

The connector has special lugs to 

enable easy fitting/removal from the 

computer's expansion port. 




SXEmPeE 



V Please rush me the following V 

r V Micro Drive Extension Leads ®£5.05 c V ^ 
rf 56 Way flibbcn Connectors @C9.95 £ V 



■ JJ 



^S Please add post and packing 
T/ I enclose cheque/PO/Cash tar , , 
r f or debit my Access/Barclayeard No. 



.:.. El 25 
Total E . 



W n 1 I I I I f i i rn 



V Signal ure 



Name 



~#Y 



tj Address 



V Of send S.A.E. (or the Mew D.K.Tronics Spectrum Catalogue 



SUi'9,'84 



Available direct or from good computer shops anywhere" 



20 



i 



sir 



OK Tronic* Ltd.. Unit 6, Shire Httl FrtduitrUI Estate, Saffron Wald*n, 
E«" CB1 1 3AQ. Telephone: |0799| 26350 (24 hrs| 5 I (net 

Tte Spccfciuwi Ccwieeiiw 



l «wSfSl 



WWM'i'tfr'iT 






he Beep Audio Amplifier interlace 
is a high power audio amplifier 
for the BEEP output. 

It improves the sound quality and output 
of the BEEP enormously. So much so 
that we had to fit a volume control so 
that it can be turned down. 



It is supplied with its own pod mounted 
(4") speaker with 1 metre of cable so 
that it can be positioned anywhere. 
Once this is fitted to the expansion port 
your programs will never sound the 
same again! 





/ Please rush me ihe following v 

'/ Beep Audio Amplifier yi 

/ lnterface(s)<ft£14 95each £ V 



/ Please add posl and packing 
I enchase cheque/PO^Cash for , 
7/ or debit my Access/Barclaycard Me 



£1.25 

Total £ 



r/ n i i i i i i i i ~n 



V Signature 



Name 



r/ Address 



V Or send SAE- lor the New D.KTronics Spectrum Catalogue su/s.'-B* ^ 



Available direct or from good computer shops anywhere" 



OK Tronltf Ltd, Unit 6. Ihlre HIM Indurtrlal Estate, 5»ft ron Walden, 
Eiien CBT I 3 ACL Telephone: (07 OT) f fr«0 |24 hn| 5 lin« 

The SpcdwiMiCojuicctiori 



he Three Channel Sound 
Synthesiser interface 
incorporates a BEEP audio 
amplifier and a 3 channel sound 
synthesiser. 

The BEEP amplifier improves the sound 
quality and output of the BEEP 
enormously. The 3 channel sound 
synthesiser adds a totally new 
dimension to sound on your Spectrum. 
It allows you to program your own music 
with harmonies, explosions, zaps, 
chimes, whistles and an infinite rang 
other sounds over a full 8 octaves. 






Based around the popular AY-3-8912 

sound chip it gives you complete control 
(from basic or M/C) over 3 channels of 
tone and/or white noise, plus envelope 
and volume control. It comes with its 
own pod mounted (4") speaker with 1 
metre of cable so that it can be 
positioned anywhere. 
Once this is fitted to the expansion port 
your programs will never sound the 
same again! 




Auoiytfe 

MOW!. 



Tf Please rush me the following >^ 

Three Ghannel Sound .... 
Wy Synthesiser Interfaces © £29.95 each. E_ 



|rj/ Please add posi and packing .... . , El .25 

V/ I enclose cheque/PO/Cash for Total E_ 

V or debit my Access/Bare laycard No. 



y i r m 

Signature Name 



Address 



V Or send S. A. E. tor the New D.K.Tronics Spectrum Catalogue su*aa vl 



tss&sari 



Available direct or from good computer shops anywhere 



J. 




DK Tronic* Ltd., Unit 6, Shire Nil I Industrial Estate, Saffron W*lden. 
Es»n CB1 T 3AQ. Telephone: (0799| 26350 (24 hrs| 5 linet 

The SpechumCowwecficji 



NOT JUST A PRETTY FACE! 



he Spectrum dual port joystick 

I interface is a highly versatile and 
price competitive joystick 
"i offering two joystick ports. 
"he first port simulates 6,7,8.9. & 
keys. The second port simulates in (31) 
command. 

The ports will accept any Atari style 
joystick. 



It will run any software. That is:- 

Using keys 6,7,8,9 & 0. 

Having redifinable key functions. 

Using in (31) (i.e. Kempston). 




MOW! , 



r V PI sase rush me the following V- 

rf Dual Port Joystick V 

V Interfaces) w> £i3Q0each f 



/ Please add post and packing . . 
fjr\ enclose cheque/PO'Cash for . . 
w / or debit my Access/Barclaycard No. 



£1.25 

Total E 



7 i j i m i 



y 

Signature 



Name 



V Address 



V OrsendS-AE. for the New DK Tronic s Spectrum Catalogue 



SU.'S.'M 



"Available direct or from good computer shops anywhere' 




■■ 



DK Tronic* Ltd„ Unit 6. Shire Hill Industrial Estate, Saffron Walden, 
Ewe* CB1 1 3AQ. Telephone: (0799/ 26350 (2* hrs| 5 lines 

The SbechumCcwtedim 



■^■pt 






W&ZW&i*- 



:'<*$£ 









NOT JUST A PRETTY FACE! 



ur new generation light pen and 
interface is designed specifically 



iSlBiSll K^j'izizl Mz\ i [> Wii 91 i tfcTt r>i T i T J 



to pixel level for complete accuracy, 
Now you can produce high resolution 
illustrations with the 16 pre-defined 
instructions, selected from the 
screen controlled menu. Chan 
colour, border, paper, ink. Dra\ 
circles, arcs, boxes or lines. 
You can fill in objects 
with colour, insert 
text or 



draw freehand, save and load completed 
or partially completed screens onto and 



lltl 



retain screens in memory and animate, 
i also use the machine codes in 
vour own programmes for 
selecting from a menu, 
laying games etc. 
'I entry points 
upplied), 
*he interface fits 
tly into position 
d comes 
mplete with 
>ftware cassette. 




AuoiEatfe 

M0W.I 



V Please rush me the following vj 

r r Ligni Pen and 

Interfaces) @ £19.95 each £_ 






ma 



H 



Please add post and packing £1 .25 

I enclose cheque/PO/Cash for Total E 

or d-ebJt my Access/Bare I aycard No. 






onwMii 









is 



> m in i i i i 



Signature 



Name 



r S Address 



^_Or send^S A£ for the New D.K Tronics Spectrum Catalogue SU/9 . M \ 






Available direct or from good computer shops anywhere' 




OK Tronlcj Ltd.. Unit 6, Shire Hill Industrial Eitat*, Saffron WaJdtn 
Esse* CBII 3 AQ, Telephone: (0799J 2&*50f2+hn| 5 Nn*i 



mi vm 



Tte SpwAnm Ccmscticn 



Wten 
NOT JUST A PRETTYjtFACE! 



This superb new interface is one of our very 
latest developments for your Spectrum. 
Offering even more features, as it's pro- 
grammable from the keyboard or with the cassette 
supplied you can now use it with any software. 
Programmable for up to 17 directional 
movements i.e. diagonal and fire. 

Features include: 



17 directional 
movements 
Keyboard remains 
fully functional 
Works with quick 
shot to rapid fire 
actions 



Rear connector 
for other add-ons 
Microdrive 
compatible 



Quickshot Joystick I £9 95 

• Super positive response 

• 2 fire buttons 

• Stabilising suction caps 

• 4ft lead 

Quickshot Joystick II £12.95 

Incorporating all the features of 
'Quickshot f plus 

• Improved control grip 

• Trigger fire button 

• Rapid fire option 




£2235 



Awutolfe 

MOW!. 



Please rush me the following \ 

V Programmable Joystick v 

Interface £ 

. . . Ouickshot Joyslickl £ 

. Ouickshot Joystick II £, , . 

Please add po$i and packing £1.25 

r/ I enclose cheque'PO/Cash for Total £ 

or debit my Aecess/Barclaycard No. 



1 TTT1TTT 



Signature 



ry Address 



Or send S.A.E for the New K. Tronic s Speclrum Catalogue 




"Available direct or from good computer shops anywhere 

dk'tronks 

OK Tronic* Ltd., Unit 6, Shire Hill Industrial Eitat*, Saffron W»W*n, 
Est** CB1 1 3 AQ. Telephone: |OT99j 26350 124 hrj| 5 linn 

The SpcchuMtCoKMCcticK 



lute* 

NOT JUST A PRETTYjtFACE! 



he new 



Parallel 



T Centronics Interface will link 
your Spectrum to any printer 

with a standard Centronics input. As 
the choice is vast, you can select the 
printer exactly suited to your needs. 

Features of the Interface include: 

• Runs all parallel Centronics type 
printers 

• Controlling software fully relocatable 

• Interfaces with any software using the 



printer channel e.g. Tasword Dev pack 
etc. 

• LUST LPRINT recognised. High res 
screen dumps 

• All control codes allowed through to 
printer 

• Fully microdrive compatible 

• Supplied with tuil instructions and 
controlling software 

All Optronics products are covered by a 
comprehensive guarantee- 
Available now! Post the coupon today 




Hvatibbk 

MOM, 



■*' £39 

K* Please rush me the following ^^ 

/ V\ 

1 « vy Parallel Centronics S^ 

' M ^w/ Interlaced) £ N^, 

^^ Please add post and packing E 1 .25 ^ 

^ I enclose cheque/PO/Cash for Total t V* 

r / or debil my Access/Barclaycard No, * vi 

r/ m i i i i i i i i i i i i u \^ 

Signature Name \i 

•m Address \\ 

r — . — . v\ 

T f Qr send S.A.E. for Irie New D.K.Tronics Spectrum Catalogue oluqihj Xi 

< .1 1 u • 



□K Tronici Ltd., Unit 6, Shir* Hilt Industrial Eitat*. laf frcm Waldcn, 
Essen CB1 1 IAO. Telephone: |OT99| 26350 |24 hrs| 5 lin« 






The SpectewR Ccimciicn 



e've just added the final touch to our 
I'll professional keyboard. 
LL This new Microdrive compatible 
keyboard offers more key functions than 
any other in its price range. And the stepped 
keys and space bar make it even easier to use. 
Our keyboard, constructed from high density 
black ABS. will take your SpeCfrum into the 
professional league. 

it has 52 "stepped" keys plus space bar. A 
separate numeric key pad consisting of 12 red 
keys including a single entry 'delete" plus 
single entry 'decimal point", facilitate fast 



numeric data entry. 

The 15" x 9" x 3" case wit! accommodate 

your Spectrum and other addons like interface 1, 

power supply etc. and forms an attractive 

self-contained unit. 

All connections, power, Mic, Ear, TV., network 

RS232 and expansion port are accessible at 

the rear. 

A tew minutes, a screwdriver and the simple 

instructions supplied are all you need to fit 

your Spectru 

All ^Ironies products are covered by a 

comprehensive guarantee. 



52 stepped 
keys 



Space bar 



Separate 
numeric 
keypad 




Please rush me ihe following 

r y Microdrive compatible ^ 

r J* keyboard(s) £45.00 ^ 

Please add post and packing £1 25 y,, 

I enclose cheque/PO/Casri for Total E ^ 

' of debil my Access/Barclaycard No. 

r/' i i i i i i MTT-rrm n 

Signature Name 

r? 

r y Address . vv^ 

' Or send S.A.E. direct for the new D .K.TronicsjSpectnjm Catalogue _^'!i e l_l*, 

■I 
H I 

H 



DK Tronic* Ltd., Unit 6. Shire Hill Industrial Estate, Saffron Walden, 
Ehh CBI 1 3AQ. Telephone: (0799| 263 SO (24 hrs} S lines 



The SbcctoiMiCcwMCctfejt 



Dark side of Midnight 



THE ARMIES of Doomdark 
are rising, swarming like lo- 
custs aver the plains and 
passes of the land of Mid- 
night, bringing with them the 
ice-fear, which drains the 
soul of courage and renders 
the bold sword arm numb 
with fear. Midnight's last 
hope is Prince Luxor, holder 
of the powerful moonstone. 
That, as if you had not 
guessed, is where you come 
in. 

Lards of Midnight is a 
truly epic adventure from Be- 
yond Software. You play the 
part of Prince Luxor and his 
allies, whose movements you 



control through the telepath- 
ic power of the moonstone. 
During the day you, and 
those you have won to your 
cause, travel the land raising 
armies, fighting battles, and 
sending ambassadors to re- 
cruit more Lords to your 
side. 

The most striking feature 
is the superb graphics sys- 
tem, whereby the screen dis- 
plays your view of the land 
from where you standi Dis- 
tant objects become bigger as 
you move towards them and 
you will need to develop a 
keen eye to spot significant 
features on the distant hori- 





I H ■ BMMMHH ■■■■ 

mm m m M S- ■■ mm 


SCORE 
OOOOOOO 
HIGH 

O050O00: 


VaVl ■■■■■ ■• mma mmt 


$£$»$$ 1 




tt 



In days of old... 



BEFORE common churls 
such as French peasants and 
Spectrum owners are allowed 
to become knights, they have 
to win their spurs. In olden 
days the process involved all 
kinds of unpleasant rituals 
and ordeals but technology 
has changed ail that. Today 
all you have to do is beat 
Cavelon, a new release from 
Ocean Software. 

Cavelon is a near replica of 
the arcade game produced by 
Ocean under licence, in com- 
mon with many of that com- 
pany's products. The object 
is to guide an apprentice 
knight through a series of 
mazes to rescue a fair damsel 
from the clutches of an evil 



wizard. There are five mazes 
to traverse and a final shoot- 
out with the evil wizard who 
has a supply of fireballs for 
the express purpose of incin- 
erating cocky young would- 
be knights. 

Cavelon is not a sophisti- 
cated game relying on a prov- 
en arcade success and general 
payability rather than origi- 
nality of concept or majestic 
programming, but it is cer- 
tainly fun. 

CAni Bourne 

CAVELON 

Memory: 4SK 

Price: E5.90 

Joystick: Kempston, SincW*, 

Protflk 
Gifbert Factor 7 



zon. Fortunately, you are 
provided with a map of the 
Land of Midnight to help 
you plan your campaign, al- 
though deliberately it omits 
many features and gives only 
an approximate indication of 
distances. 

The graphics are built of 
standard pictures for various 
pans of the landscape; it is 
claimed that there are 32,000 
possible views, all different in 
some respect from each 
other. Fortunately there is 
sufficient variety and detail in 
the pictures to sustain inter- 
est and the information con- 
tained in them is vital to the 
game, as there is very little 
accompanying text. 

Unlike most adventures, 
Lords of Midnight is not 
played with pseudo- English 
commands but with a key- 
board overlay setting out 
your options. In certain cir- 
cumstances the CHOOSE 
option will provide a menu of 
further decisions, such as ini- 
tiating a battle or recruiting 
men. Those decisions depend 
on the qualities of individual 
characters; if a commander is 
very frightened, he will be 
less likely to consider joining 
a battle. Likewise, movement 
is determined by terrain and 
physical stamina. The system 
of menus may appear slightly 
confusing at first but rapidly 
becomes easy to use and the 
I 



response time is excellent, 
with pictures generated 
almost instantaneously. 

There are two distinct 
types of game combined in 
Lord of Midnight. First, 
there is a quests as Luxor's 
son Morkin is set the task of 
travelling into the heart of 
the realm of Doomdark to 
seize and destroy the ice- 
crown, the source of all evil 
power. Only Morkin is pure 
and bold enough to do that. 

Second, Luxor and his ar- 
mies must attempt to conquer 
Doomdark militarily, or at 
least prevent the enemy cap- 
turing the key citadel of Xa- 
jorkith. Thus the game can 
be played either as a war 
game or as a quest but both 
elements- affect each other, 
for the war may distract 
Doomdark's armies from 
Morkin, and the closer Mor- 
kin gets to success, the less 
Doomdark can direct his ice- 
fear against Luxor's armies. 

If you love fantasy and 
wish to immerse yourself in a 
genuine tale of epic adven- 
ture, Lords of Midnight will 
provide as authentic a taste of 
Tolkien or Donaldson as any 
game yet produced. 

Chris Bourne 

LORDS OF MIDNIGHT 
■Memory; 48K 
Price: £9.95 
Gilbert factor 9 




SfNCLAIR USER September 1984 



35 



Anyone for tennis? F ? ur ° f 

* a kind 



WIMBLEDON has gone and 
strawberries are out of season 
but the Psion Match Point 
tennis game for the 48K 
Spectrum will be popular all 
i he year round. 

The simulation has more 
than the classic quality and 
style of Chequered Flag, the 
Psion racing game, and pro- 
vides some of the most spec- 
tacular graphics for the 
Spectrum. 

The screen display shows 
Centre Court at Wimbledon. 
The panorama provides a 
view of the net, umpire, 
crowds moving their heads, 
and even the benches on 
"PttUL 



which the players sit after a 
game. 

You can play either a quar- 
ter-final or semi-final if you 
are inexperienced, or a final if 
you want to be thrashed 
soundly by the other player. 
If you have no human Friend 
with whom you can play, the 
computer will always be on 
hand for a game. 

When you start to play you 
may have difficulty distin- 
guishing between the ball and 
its shadow. Once you have 
played a few games, however, 
the effect falls into place and 
adds a three-dimensional 
quality to the game. The 




shadow of the ball is the only 
unrealistic feature of the dis- 
play as, in real life, the play- 
ers cast the shadows and not 
the ball. 

Psion can be forgiven for 
introducing the shadow, as 
the game outclasses most 
other sports programs for the 
computer. Unlike most of the 
other games available it can 
be described as a true simula- 
tion. 

It is a game for all the 
family and not only for the 
sports enthusiast. Although it 
does not replace the real 
thing it is a worthwhile pro- 
gram, as it is a simulation 
which provides an exhibition 
mode which you can sit and 
watch while two computer- 
generated players go through 
the motions. It might even 
teach the beginner something 
about the skills required in 
the game. 

John Gilbert 

MATCH POINT 

Memory: 48K 

Price; £7,95 

Joystick: Sinclair, Kempston, 

Cursor. 
Gilbert Factor: 9 



Kt x B, kerBOOMM! 



WHEN is chess not quite 
chess? When it is the Artie 
Death Chess 5000 . Purists 
will shudder to hear that Ar- 
tie has produced a chess-play- 
ing program in which the 
result of piece taking piece is 
decided by an arcade action 
sequence and not by the im- 
mutable laws of the game. 

The program consists of 
two main options. The first is 
to play a normal chess game 
with the standard rules. Both 
castling and en passant moves 
are acceptable. There arc sev- 
en levels of play. 

Pieces are moved by enter- 
ing the usual number/letter 
grid references. Invalid 
moves will not be permitted 
and if you are confused the 



computer will suggest a 
move. 

Choose the death chess op- 
tion and you are in for a 
shock. In that mode any at- 
tempt to take a piece, by ei- 
ther side, shifts the action to 
an arcade-style battlefield. 
There are six settings de- 



pending on what pieces are 
involved. Those are over 
quickly and swift reactions 
are needed to win, 

Richard Price 

DEATH CHESS 5000 

Memory: 48K 

Price: £6,95 

Joystick: Kemps ton 

Gilbert Factor 7 



H r?< l2 


P^HS 


^^—JCISL—— JIH— -W h ~~^W«^» B ' 



YOU MAY THINK there 
are sufficient chess programs 
on the market, not to mention 
3D Noughts and Crosses, We 
(end to agree but so far as we 
know nobody has yet offered 
four games of skill and strat- 
egy under a single heading. 

Mind Games from Oasis 
Software does just that. For 
an admittedly high price you 
receive two cassettes contain- 
ing Chess, Backgammon, 
Draughts and 3D Noughts 
and Crosses, Oasis calls the 
latter Invader Cube in the 
documentation but the Spec- 
trum knows better and prints 
3D-OXO on the screen, so 
you know where you are. 

The Chess program is a 
version of the successful 
Dragon Ghess implementa- 
tion. It is not the fastest chess 
program available but plays a 
strong game at three levels, 
with facilities to save games, 
swap positions, take back 
four moves, and alter the 
Spectrum playing style from 
strategic to tactical. 

Backgammon is possibly 
the weakest of the quartet, 
not on account of the com- 
puter skill level, which 
played a safe if stolid game, 
but because of slow response 
times. That is mainly due to 
pretty graphics of the dice 
and the pieces moving but 
takes so long that such refine- 
ments should have been sacri- 
ficed to the requirements of 
speed. 

Backgammon is a very fast- 
moving board game, unlike 
chess and draughts in that 
respect, and deserves a corre- 
spondingly fast program, or 
much of the pleasure is lost. 
The programs are good val- 
ue if you do not already have 
them in your collection and 
would certainly make a good 
buy for any newcomer. 

Chris Bourne 

MIND GAMES 
Memory: 48K 
Price: £14, 9B 
Gilbert Factor: 7 



36 



SINCLAIR USER September 1984 






Low level high-flyer 



WHY any self-respecting 
pilot should want to fly a jet 
fighter at high speed through 
a built-up area a mere 10 or 
so feet from the ground is 
difficult to understand but 
that is the premise behind 
TLL from Vortex Software. 

You are the idiot who has 
opted: for the mission, of 
course, and your aircraft is 
the Tornado. You have to 
take off from a runway and 
seek six enemy targets repre- 
sented by small discs. Unfor- 
tunately for your health the 
only way to destroy the tar- 
gets is to skim above them, 
thus putting you in the em- 
barrassing situation of risking 



collision with trees or tele- 
graph poles, 

Vortex claims to have pro- 
duced the best-ever graphics. 
Such claims should be disre- 
garded on principle but the 
picture of the town in which 
the game takes place is beau- 
tifully detailed in quasi-3D 
perspective; the representa- 
tions of the buildings solid 
and attractive; and the screen 
scrolling is absolutely smooth 
and flicker-free. 

The Tornado is less im- 
pressive but casts a shadow 
on the ground which, while 
irritating at first, becomes 
very useful as a guide to your 
altitude and precise position. 



Barrels of fun 



STRATEGY GAMES are 
rarely programmed to the 
same standard as arcade 
games but the new Quicksilva 
release, Gatecrasher, com- 
bines an elegant concept with 
slick graphics. In the game 
you must drop barrels — they 
look more like marbles on the 
screen — down a maze and 
attempt to fill nine boxes at 
the bottom of the screen. The 
maze contains a number of 
flip-flop baffles which deflect 
the barrels along different 
paths. Each time a barrel hits 
a flip-flop the flip-flop re- 
verses, so that the next barrel 
will be sent in a different 
direction, 



At later levels you must 
not only fill ail the boxes but 
also arrange them in the cor- 
rect order. Each one is num- 
bered and dropping a barrel 
in a box will swop its number 
with the one to the right. 
Since you have only 20 bar- 
rels you must plan carefully 
to complete the task. 

Gatecrasher is extremely 
challenging and a welcome 
break from alien-bashing. 

Chris Bourne 

GATECRASHER 
Memory: 48K 
Price: £6.95 
Joystick: Kemps ton 
Gilbert Factor: 7 



There is the mandatory dis- 
play of fuel gauge, altimeter, 
time elapsed and so on, as 
well as a map of the playing 
area and a small outline of 
your position and any targets 
or solid objects nearby. 

Because the graphics are so 
highly-developed, the operat- 
ing system for the Tornado is 
simple and cannot be de- 
scribed as a simulation. You 
cannot accelerate or deceler- 
ate except by changing the 
attitude of your swing wings, 
and take-off and landing is a 
matter of pressing the appro- 
priate button at the proper 
time, although obtaining a 
good approach to the runway 



for landing is more difficult. 
Fuel is limited and there is 
usually only sufficient time to 
destroy two targets at most 
before being forced to land 
and refuel. 

It all adds up to an exciting 
game, requiring fast reflexes 
and cool nerve, and if you 
think you are made of the 
right stuff, try flying under 
the telephone lines without 
panicking. TLL is no picnic 
Ckrit Bourne 

TLL 

Memory; 48K 
Price: £5,95 
Joystick: Sinclair 
Gilbert Factor; 8 





Roo lacks punch 



MICROMANIA has raided 
the zoo again for ideas for its 
new game Kosmic Kanga. 
In it you control a Kangaroo, 
that moves along a scrolling 
landscape. By controlling the 
height of its bounces you can 
pick up objects and points, 
and try to avoid low-flying 
planes and ducks. To help 
you in that you can throw the 
traditional kangaroo boxing 
gloves at them. 

The action is smooth and 
all the sprites large and co- 
lourful. Controlling the kan- 
garoo is rather haphazard and 
consequently zapping any- 
thing becomes a matter of 
luck as well as skill. When 



the sprites meet the colours 
clash very badly. Of II 
screens eight arc the same 
with different sprites for vari- 
ety. 

All in all the game holds 
your attention for an hour or 
so but after that the interest 
wanes. There are many ar- 
cade games for the Spectrum, 
some good and some bad. At 
best this one is average. Nice 
graphics, shame about the 
game, John Lambert 

Kosmic Kanga 
Memory: 48K 
Price: €5 95 
Joystick: AGF, Prat ok. 

Kemps ton, Sinclair 
Gilbert Factor: 5 



SfNCLAIR USER September 1984 



n 




Challenging, 

sophisticated 
advanced, 
extra special. 



Be the world's greatest sleuth — in the most advanced and challenging adventure game ever, 

Forthe first time ever, here is an adventure game in which you can talk with intelligent characters, ask them questions 
and argue with their conclusions — all in everyday English sentences. 

Wort against time to solve the mystery as you travel about Victorian England. Villains, suspects and witnesses all live 
out their lives in a realistic manner, and you can never be sure of who or what you will find anywhere. You must be alert 
because nobody is above suspicion. 

In 'Sherlock', the world of the famous private detective comes vividly to life. Time passes naturally: day turns to night 
racing towards the inescapable deadline. You must ensure Sherlock has sufficient time for sleep, money to travel on 
public transport and other necessities. And you can rely on Dr. Watson to help you collate information, or gather clues. 

'Sherlock' makes the maximum use poss i b k of trie 48K Spectrum and is the result of 15 months work by a team led by 
programmer Philip Mitchell, the author of The Hobbit'. The text and graphics of 'Sherlock' makes it the most exciting 
and sophisticated adventure game yet devised. 

Study the clues, question the suspects, make the deductions— and match your wits against the most dastardly 
criminals in history, 

Melbourne House makes the choice of your next computer adventure elementary 

A real adventure! 



n Please send me your free catalogue 

□ Please send me Spectrum 48K Sherlock Holmes @ £1495 



All Melbourne House cassette software is unconditionally 
guaranteed against malfunction. 



1 enclose my cheque/money order for £ 


Please debit my Access Card Mo. 


Expiry Date 


Signature 


Name 


Address 




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£ +p/p 80 



Total 

£ 



Order is 

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39 Milton Trading Estate 
Abinidofl, Oidp D(u 410 

Crrrr espondm:* In 
Cliurcri Ya«t 
Tnng 
Heftlordshins HP23 SLU 

Access orrfers can be tele phoned 
through on our ?4-hotir snsafar* 
f023il S3 500€ 

AH Duces include VAT Ahm 
appl mbiE Please add 80p lor 
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Melbourne House 




% 



[ SUi 







I 



I ■< 




First, a question. 

Who do you think are the 
world's most avid consumers of 
microcomputers? 

The ingenious Japanese? 
The fashionable French? 
The acquisitive Americans? 

Believe it or not, it's we 
British who own more micros 
per person than any other nation 
on earth. 

Yet, despite its amazing 
impact, the microcomputer has 
only just begun to scratch at the 
surface of our lives . Without 
doubt, the best is yet to come. 

Use and Abuse. 

In several recent surveys, 
some astonishing facts about 
micro use and abuse were 
revealed. 

It was discovered that the 
micro is hopelessly under- 
utilised. If you're already a micro 
owner, your own experience may 
well confirm this unhappy state 
of affairs. 

Brainpower. A source 
of knowledge. 

For thousands of years, 
the key to self improvement has 
been in the hands of the written 
word. Now, thanks to 
the Brainpower range, it's very 
much in the hands of the micro 

As the Brainpower 
range demonstrates, this does not 
require prior knowledge of micros, or 
how they work. 

The Brainpower concept has 
been devised as mtegmted applications 
and educational software. And its aim 




k* - ->aa4&^S->--r." 




Each Biainpower uiJe ptovidee a unique three pan package, an applications 
piogram; a teaching progr&ra and an LIluguaTod. manual and inteiactivn? 
tutorial - applications integrated and fedueatianaJ software 



40 



Now you and ] 
bring out the b< 

is to stretch both your mind and your 
imagination. 

It offers a unique way to realise 
your own full potential and that of your 
micro. In a way you could never hope to 
achieve from the printed word alone 

In this respect, the Brainpower 
range stands on its own, 

A unique concept. 

All the Brainpower titles share 
one thing in common, apart from their 
stimulating subject matter, that makes 
them unique, 

You will find each title comprises 
three distinctive elements; A teaching 
program that helps you to get to grips 

SINCLAIR USER September 1984 




STAR WATCHER 

The secrets of the heavens are yours. Isolate all the 
constellations as well as main* stars for easy 
identification. Even turn stars and constellations on 
and off at will. Screen by screen, you will see exactly 
how the 1,500 brightest stars move through time and 
space And all from any point on the Earth's surface at 
any time of the year 

Star Watcher is without doubt the definitive home 
observatory, 

DECISION MAKER 
Should you buy a new 
house? Change jobs? 
Have children? Start your 

own business? Such 
decisions should not be 
taken lightly. Armed 
with Decision Maker, you 
can be quite sure of 
examining every avenue, 
and arriving at a rational, 
structured answer. 

If you value the way 
you run your life, you 
need Decision Maker. 

NUMBERS AT WORK 
Tackle all the number problems you're likely to face in 
daily and business life. From straightforward 
multiplication and division of fractions, through 
decimals, percentages, ratios, mark-ups and margins 
to compound interest, depreciation, VAT and PAYE. 

Numbers at Work gives you a distinct edge, Since 
you will be able to both understand and manipulate 
numbers at will. 

PROJECT PLANNER 
Project Planner teaches you how to divide even 

the most complex project down into meaningful 
components. Learn how to determine the length 
and importance of every single task, and those 
elements critical to the fulfilment of your plan. Even 
anticipate problems you hadn't envisaged. 

You have the measure of any situation because 
you have the fullest possible grasp of all the factors 
which affect it. 




your micro can 
est in each other. 



FORECASTER 
Forecaster takes the guesswork out of forecasting, by 

accepting that tomorrow's events will be best 
predicted on the basis of today's facts. Armed with 
Forecaster, sales targets and growth trends, even 
sporting events and election results can be 
accurately and very quickly predicted, 

Invaluable to you in both your private and 
business life. 



with the subject at youi own pace. An 
applications progiam to put what you 
learn into action. And finally with each 
package, you get an expertly written 
book and interactive tutorial. 



ENTREPRENEUR 

Entrepreneur teaches you all the steps required to plan and start 
your own business. It will forecast your first IS months' cash flows, 
generate youi Profit and Loss Account and Balance Sheet Help 
you in discussions with your bank manager and partners. Explain 
the notions of assets, liabilities, overheads, working capital, cash 
flow and break even point 

Invaluable to anyone who is planning a business venture 



Tick your choice 


SPECTSUM 
4BK 


nru:s 
Tape 


BBCB 

DISK 

40'BO Tiack 


COMMODORE 

64 


cumm. : ■ ■.■:■•. 
Disk 


£:4.95 


£19 95 


£2495 


£19.95 


£24 95 


Decision Maker 












N ambers at Wcuk 












Stsi Vvatchei 












Entrepierceu] 












Proi&fit Plarm&r 












Ffir&- 













MAM P. 



ADDRESS 



TELEPHONE 



SIGNATURE 



Sard to Triptych Publishing Ltd iTBL Book Service Lid) FREEPQST, 
CAMBERLEY SURREY GUIS 3BB All goods Sully raited and returnable il many 
way deiective Allow 2& days tor. deliver y 'Delete as applicable su«*i 



Fleiise add £X 50 (or postage and parking 

" I enclose a cheque o: postal order, crossed an<i made payable w Triptych 

Publishing Ltd for £ 

" Please debit my Access,* 

Barclaycatd. number 



I i I I 1 I i I i I t I I I I t I 



BRAINPOWER 



SINCLAIR USER September 1984 



41 



The Key To Success ! 

Now, with the new Stonechip Spectrum Keyboard, the user has no worry of damaging the Spectrum 
itself as improved designing enables it to fit the case perfectly. 

Assembling the case is simple as it consists of two halves, the top half containing the keyboard, with 

a small printed circuit board, attached by ribbon cable, plugging into the rear of the Spectrum. The 

lower half fits precisely around the Spectrum, thus preventing any risk of damaging through 

movement 

Your Sinclair guarantee need not be invalidated since the Spectrum does not require removal from 

its case. 




THE MAIN FEATURES OF THE KEYBOARD ARE: 

No modifications to Spectrum necessary as it connects via rear port. 

Full-length space bar. 

Built-in 'Echo' amplifier and tape interface, 

RESET keys remove the need to disconnect power supply lead. 

Single key 'DELETE', 

Single key /Extended Mode' selection (ie one key replaces the CAPS SHIFT and SYMBOL SHIFT 

function). 

Fully compatible with Interface 1 and most peripherals. 



ELECTRONICS nSnnn 

Stonechip Electronics, Unit 9, The Brook Industrial Estate, 
Deadbrook Lane, Aldershot, Hants. Telephone: 10252) 333361 



r 



Extender unit available to use with Interface 
2 and Kempston Joystrck Interface, E2.50 



£59-95 



DEALER ENQUIRIES WELCOME 
Delivery approximately 28 days 



To: Stonechip Electronics, Unit 9. The Brook Industrial Estate 
Deadbrook Lane. AJdershot. Hants. Telephone {02521 J 31361 

Please forw»rd me tht following products: 



All prices are Inclusive of VAT. Post * Packing for UK deliveries 
(overseas, add is%i 



Name 
Address . 




Fir mb ct*t»i my Acsnt 

Number I I I J I 






• 



I 



Hints and Tips = 



SINCLAIR USER has received 
hundreds of enquiries this year 
regarding individual program- 
ming problems but those problems are 
not so exceptional as many might think. 
They are from users who have passed 
the stage of reading the Spectrum man- 
ual and who find difficulty when they 
are trying to write programs. 

The article forms an easy reference 
guide of hints and tips designed io 
combat most of the common problems 
which have been experienced. The rou- 
tines cover most of the aspects of com- 
puting, including graphics, input, 
structured programming and math- 
ematics. It is not an exhaustive guide 
but will help most users. 

Keyboard beep 

When the Spectrum is first switched 
on } pressing any key produces a short, 
sharp click. The length of the sound can 
be adjusted by POKEing a number 
between and 255 into memory loca- 
tion 23609 — the higher the number, 
the longer the sound. The best values 
are between 50 and 100. Anything 
shorter than that is inaudible and any- 
thing longer means that the Spectrum is 
still beeping while you are trying to 
press the next key. 

Capitals lock 

To put the Spectrum into CAPS 
LOCK mode in a program > use POKE 
23658,8. To get the machine out of 
CAPS LOCK mode, use POKE 
23658,0. 

Waiting 

The most logical way to perform the 
wait sequence is: 

10 PRINT "Press any key to continue" 
20 IF INKEYS- "" THEN GO TO 20 
30 CLS: PRINT "This would be page 
2" 

A simpler wayj however, would be to 
use the PAUSE n facility which tells 
the computer to wait for n/50 seconds 
before continuing. 

If n = 0, that means PAUSE for ever. 
A PAUSE can always be cut short by 
pressing a key. 

Attributes 

Looking at the memory map — page 
165 of the manual — it can be seen that 
the attributes area is located between 
22528 and 23296, It occupies 23296- 
22528 = 768 bytes, one byte for each of 
the 24*32 = 768 character squares on 



Simon Lewis presents some useful suggestions to 
give your Spectrum extra programming power 

Routine bytes 
a Basic guide 




■u u \ iv U 



LOGARl!!^ 




CONDITIONS 



QUADRATIC EQUATIONS 







the screen. An attribute byte is arranged 
as follows: 

If a particular function is to be set, the 
appropriate bit is set to binary I . ir the 
function is to be off, the bit is set to 0. 
The resulting byte can then be convert- 
ed into decimal using the computer 
BINary facility. 

Of the Three colours green, red and 
blue, the other five available colours can 
be made: 

Black Green off, Red off, Blue off* BIN 000-0 
Magenta: Green off, Red on, Blue on = BtN 
010-2 

Cyan: Green on, Red off, Blue on = BIN tOI -^ 
Yellow: Green on, Red OS, Blue off* BIN 1 10*6 
While: Green on, Red on, Blue on - BIN 111 = 7 
Notice how the decimal equivalent of 
the binary code is the same as the colour 
number on the keyboard. 



m 


7 


6 


5 


Function 


Flash 


Bright 


Paper 
green 




4 


3 


2 


1 





Paper 
rod 


Paper 
blue 


Ink 
green 


Ink 
red 


Ink 
blue 



Changing attributes 

Using the ATTR function it is poss- 
ible to read the value of the attributes at 
a given position — line* column. State- 
ments such as LET ATTR (2,2) = 56, 
however are not allowed, 

A method of loading a specified attri- 
bute into a given position, using the 
standard line, column format would be 



useful. The following function will do 

thai: 

DEF FN a(y,x) = 22528 + 32*y + x 

Do not forget that this must have a 
line number. To illustrate its use, try 
this program: 

10 DEF FN a(y,x) = 22528 +32*y + x 
20 FOR f= 1 TO 704; PRINT "&";: 
NEXT f: REM fill screen 
30 INPUT "Attribute = "; value; "Line- 
= ";line; "Column = ";coiumn 
40 POKE FN a{line,cohimn), value 
50 GO TO 30 

Permanent attributes 

A complete change of screen attri- 
butes is often required and it can be 
achieved with lines such as 
50 PAPER 1: INK 6: FLASH 0: 
BRIGHT I: CLS 

A memory-saving way of achieving 
the same effect is lo evaluate what this 
attribute would be. In this case, it 
would be BIN 01001110 = 78. The 
number is then POKEd into address 
23693 and followed by a CLS to load 
the value into the attributes bytes for 
the upper half of the screen. 

Scrolling 

A scroll can be achieved easily in a 
program by using the statement LET 
a = USR 3280. To get the screen to 
scroll when a PRINT statement is en- 
countered, use POKE 2 369 2, x where x 

continued on page 45 



SINCLAIR USER .September 1984 



43 




■^^Stt^ataas^ *£$£!&&** 






It's the fun game of 
the year — Trash man. 




1mm the moment you sit 
donii to play you'll be thrilled by 
lliis exciting, original* laugh a 
minute game. 

Your job may look easy to the rest 
of the world, but ymi know the hazards. - 
[ing cats and pavement cyclists can 
both shake you up. Let's face it car* can 
be Fatal. 

But if thai isn't enough you've got the 
other problems of uirtous dogs, the after 
effects of overeating in the transport cafe ot on* 
too many in the boozer. 

Not only will you he gripped by the action 
^, you'll he a mazed and amused by the high quality 
fr.v. graphics, 

^ With seven levels of play featuring three 

tittempts to finish the game (assuming you are not 
run over by a car) Trashirtan will prouide even the 
most experienced games player with a thrilling 
challenge. 1 or 2 player option, HalJ of Fame and 
joystick compatibility* ensure this game ha* all the 
r ' . . best arcade features. 

t Trash man is available NOW for the 48K 
Spectrum. Ask for it today at your local 
y computer store! 




P Only £5.95 



"SWupsf^n. Sinclair Imeifore 2. 
Prau?k ot eqawukm 



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1 



Hints and Tips 



continued from pagi 43 

is one less than the number of lines to 

be scrolled. For example: 

10 INPUT "Ho. of times to 

scroll™ ";n: REM n cannot be greater 

than 254 

20 FOR f= I TO 22: PRINT: NEXT ft 

REM move print position to bottom of 

screen 

30 PORE 23692m + 1: REM n scrolls 

40 FOR f=l TO n+10: PRINT f: 

NEXTf 



Drawing 

When DRAWing on the Spectrum, 
the distance is specified as displace- 
ments horizontally and vertically from 
the last point plotted. The DRAW com- 
mand on many other computers is dif- 
ferent; the parameters following the 
command specify the co-ordinates of the 
point to be DRAWn to. If you prefer 
the latter method, there are two simple 
solutions: 

Have a subroutine in the program 
which will convert the co-ordinates 
specified into displacements and 
DRAW with these. For example: 
10 PLOT 20,30 

20 LET x= 100: LET y=80: GO SUB 
9000 

30 DRAW x,y,2: DRAW -x,-y,2 
40 STOP 

9000 LET x = x-FEEK 23677: LET 
y-y-PEEK 2367S: RETURN 

Or use the definable functions: 
10 DEF FN x(h)=h-PEEK 23677 
20 DEF FN y(v>= v - PEEK 23678 
30 PLOT 2030 
40 DRAW FN x(l00), FN y(80) 

The disadvantage with that method is 
that the FNs have to be syped-in every 
time you wish to DRAW. 

Permanent attributes 

Permanent attributes for the lower 
half of the screen are stored at location 
23624 3 the value of the byte being 
calculated in the same way as before. 
The colour of the screen border IS taken 
as being the paper colour, irrespective 
of whether it is flashing or bright. 

Input 

Assuming black ink, white paper and 
a white border, the line 10 INPUT 
INK 2; PAPER 6; !4 What U your na- 
me? 1 * ;a$ 

will result in the prompt written only in 
red ink on yellow paper; the string 
input will be in black ink on white 
paper. 

How can both the prompt and the 
string input be in red on yellow? The 



answer is to POKE address 25624 with 
the required attribute — in this case 
BIN 00 1 1 00 10 = 50 - and then perform 
the INPUT. There is just one small 
problem remaining. The border colour 
will change only to the specified paper 
colour after the first key of the input is 
pressed. It is necessary therefore to set 
the border to the required colour before 
iNPLITting, as in this program: 
10 BORDER 
20 POKE 23624,132 
30 INPUT "What is your name?";a5 

Line input 

When INPUTting using the LINE 
statement the computer does not print 
the surrounding quotation marks, al- 
though it knows They are there, How, 
therefore, do you STOP a program 
which is using LINE input? If STOP is 
typed, it will become the value of the 
string. 




ttHUN . LINE wp ut 




UADRATtC EQUATIONS 




r^ 



The only solution to the problem is 
to type cursor down — CAPS SHIFT/6 
— when asked for input. Thai does not 
need to be the first character typed and 
will give error H (STOP in INPUT). 

Printing on lower half 

This is accomplished by following 
the FRINT command with #0. This 
program shows its use more clearly; 
10 FOR f=l TO 20 
20 PRINT ft 0;f 
30 PAUSE 20 
40 NEXT f 
50 PAUSE 

Notice how the screen behaves as in 
INPUT. The whole of the lower half 
scrolls up to make room for the next 
PRINT, which is then done on the 
bottom line. Line 50 of the program is 
necessary, as a report code destroys the 
lower half of the screen. PRINT 
#0;AT behaves similar to INPUT AT, 
If more than 22 lines are printed on the 
bottom half, then error 5 — Out of 



There are 360 degrees in a circle, that 
number being chosen because it will 
divide exactly by as many numbers as 
possible. 

Radians are the most convenient 
units for more advanced mathematics. 
There are 2* PI radians in a circle. They 
are the units the Spectrum uses. Gra- 
dians are an attempt to metrieatc de- 
grees. A right angle — 90 degrees — 
contains 100 gradians. There are 400 
gradians in a circle, Gradians are little- 
used now. 

Common angles and the equivalent 
in other units are shown in the table: 

The best way to convert between 
them is to set up some two-letter con- 
stants. The first letter defines the units 
in which the angle is measured and the 
second is the units to which the angle is 
to be converted. That can be done in 
one line; 

10 LET rd= 180/PI: LET dr= PI/180: 
LET rg-200/PI: LET gr= PI/200: 
LET dg=10y9: LET gd = .9 

Suppose the result of a trigonometric 
operation was 0.7854 radians. To con- 
vert it to degrees, the conversion factor 
would be the variable rd — conversion 
from radians to degrees. Telling the 
computer to FRINT 0.7854*rd gives 
45 degrees approximately. To find the 
sine of 30°, use PRINT SIN (30*dr). If 
gradians are not required, u is just as 
easy to use the definable functions: 
10 DEF FN d(r) = r* 180/PI: DEF FN 
r(d)^d*P[/l80 



screen 



occurs. 



Degrees, radians and 
gradians 

Degrees are by far the most popular 
and most convenient units of angle. 



Degrees 


ftadians 


Gradians 


360 


6.2831853 


400 


270 


4 712389 


300 


180 


3.1415927 


200 


90 


1 .5707963 


100 


45 


0.78539616 


50 


60 


1,0471976 


66 66 


30 


0.523 588 7 B 


33.33 ' 



Roots 

To find, for example, the cube root of 
27, use PRINT 27T(I/3) To find the 
fifth root of 7776, use PRfNT 7776t(I/ 
5). In general, nT(l/r) finds the r lh root 
of n. 

Quadratic equations 

As anyone studying for O level will 
be aware» the general equation for a 
quadratic is ax J + bx + c = 0. The formu- 
la will have two solutions, given by the 
following equations: 

rl--b + ^D 2 -4ac 



2a 



continued on page 46 



SINCLAIR USER September 1984 



45 



Hints and Tips 



eontmutd from page 4S 

r2=-b-^b'-4ac 

2a 
They can be mimicked by the user- 
defined functions: 

DEF FN x<a,b,c) = (-b + SQR 

(b*b-4*a*c))/{2*a) 

DEF FN y(a,b ? c) = (-b-SQR 

(B*b-4*a*c}y(2*a) 

where FN x(a,b,c) and FN y(a,b,c) are 
the two roots. If b*b is less than 4*a*c, 
error A — Invalid Argument — occurs 
which indicates a quadratic equation 
whose roots arc imaginary or not real. 

Logarithms 

The Spectrum calculates logarithms 
to base e, which has the approximate 
value of 2.72; the proper answer can be 
obtained by PRINT EXP 1 . To convert 
the logarithm or a number to a specified 
base is what the user-defined function 
in line 20 of this program does: 
10 INPUT "Number=";n,"Basc=";b 

" U Lj \ — 1 \ I 



Chi 




Cpufft 



QHJAOfAtl C EQUATIONS . 

20 DEF FN l(n,b)=LN n/LN b 
JO PRINT "Log of 'W to base 
";br = ";FN i{n,b) 
40 GO TO 10 

Memory remaining 

When writing long programs, it is 
useful to know how much memory re- 
mains. The following defined function 
will give the amount of memory occu- 
pied by the Basic program and any 
variables. RUN the program first to set 
these up. 

5 DEF FN k() = (PEEK 23641 + 
256*PEEK 23642 -PEER 23635- 
256* PEEK 23636)^1024 

The display file in the Spectrum 
occupies 24*32*8 "6144 bytes. The at- 
tributes area occupies 24*32-768 
bytes. The total amount of memory 
used by the display is therefore 
6144+768-6912 bytes. 

The user-defined graphics occupy 
21*8-168 bytes; the system variables 
occupy ISO bytes; the printer buffer is 
256 bytes long; together, they occupy 
7,5 16 bytes, leaving 3,868 bytes remain- 
ing, say about 8±K to the user for 
variables and Basic program in the 16K 
Spectrum and about 40+ K in the 48K 
version. 



Do not forget that the function gives 
memory occupied by the program; to 
get the amount of free memory use 
PRINT 8. 5- FN kfj on the 16K Spec- 
trum or PRINT 40.5 -FM k() on the 
48K version. 

ASCII Code 

ASCII — American Standard Code 
for Information Interchange — is the 
usual method of allowing computers to 
talk io peripherals, e.g., printers, and 
other computers. The code contains 
only characters between CHRS 32 and 
CHRS 127 inclusive. The othef code* 
are non-standard Spectrum-only codes. 

The point is, however, that 
SCREENS will detect only ASCII char- 
acters; it will not detect graphics charac- 
ters or the user-defined graphics. In 
appendix A of the programming man- 
ual, CHRS 92 is incorrect; it should be 
a diagonal line from top left to bottom 
right. As printed, it is identical to 
CHRS 47. 

Conditions 

The logical conditions on the Spec- 
trum are powerful but are under- used 
because of the more user-friendly 
IF , , . THEN statements. Logical con- 
ditions have the advantage of faster 
execution than IF . . . THEN state- 
ments. For example, the two lines 
50 IF x=5 THEN LET y-0 
60 IFx = 3 THEN LET y^!2 
can be replaced by the single line 
50 LET y={0 AND x = 5) + (12 AND 

x=3> 

Logical conditions are specially use- 
ful in fast-action games. For example: 
100 IF INKEY$ = "8" THEN LET 
p = p+l 
110 IF INKEY$ = "5" THEN LET 

p-p-i 

120 IF p>31 THEN LET p = 31 
130 IF p<0 THEN LET p = 
140 REM process this information here 
150 GO TO 100 

Lines 100-130 can be quite easily 
replaced by: 

100 LET p = p+<INKEY$ = "B"}-(IN~ 
KEYS = "5") + (p<0)-(p>31) 

Colour control characters 

The best control characters to use in 
a listing are flashing on /off, bright on/ 
off and inverse/true video, as they do 
not affect the colours of the ink and 
paper. Do not forget to switch them off 
at the end. 

They can be incorporated into strings 
to prevent having to use statements like 
PRINT PAPER 2; INK 5; FLASH 



l;a$ but bear in mind that each control 
character occupies two character spaces. 
So, for instance, typing LET 
a$ = CHRS 16 + CHRS 2 + CHRS 
18 + CHRS 1 + "DANGER" + CHRS 
18 + CHRSO+CHRS 16 + CHRS and 
then PRINT a$ gives 'DANGER 1 in 
flashing red. Telling the computer to 
PRINT LEN aS gives 14: 6 for the 
letters and 2 each for the four control 
codes. 

Another problem is string slicing. If 
you try PRINT a$<2 TO), the Spectrum 
gives a black question mark, followed 
by 'DANGER' in flashing black. Thai 
is because the first character to be 
PRINTed - CHRS 2 - is interpreted 
as such and not as the number for the 
ink. The Spectrum does not know how 
to interpret CHRS 2 so it PRINTS a 
question mark. 

Graphics and text 

The Spectrum is very flexible in the 
way text and graphics can be mixed 
freely on the screen. Because of the 
layout of the screen, however, care must 
be taken not to PRINT, PLOT or 
DRAW in the wrong place, as that can 
affect the colours of nearby characters 
and graphics. 

The following user-defined functions 
will convert PLOT to PRINT AT posi- 
tions and vice versa: 

DEF FN x(c}=8*c 
DEF FN y(l) = (21-l)*8 
DEF FNcfx)-=INT(x/8) 
DEF FN I(y)^21-INT(y/8) 

The abbreviations used are; 
1: line 
c: column 

x\ x co-ordinate of pixel 
y: y co-ordinate of pixel 

The pixel accessed is the one at the 
bottom left of the character square. 
This program illustrates a use for two of 
those functions: 

10 DEF FN x(c>=8*c: DEF FN 
y(l) = (2I-ir8 
20 FOR c = 2 TO 3£> STEP 2 
30 LET l=c/2 + 3 
40 PRINT AT l,c; FLASH 1;"+" 
50 PLOT FN x(c)- I, FN y(l): DRAW 
0,8: DRAW 9,0: DRAW 0,-9: DRAW 
-9,0 
60 NEXT c 

The list is probably by no means 
exhaustive. Il is merely an attempt to 
pass on useful information to other 
Spectrum users; you probably have sev- 
eral tips that you can add to it. It is little 
points of this kind which permit you to 
squeeze a little more from your Spec- 
trum. 



46 



SINCLAIR USER September 1984 



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METHOD OF PAYMENT 

By cheque or PO (no cash ) made 
payable to COMPUTER ONE 

Hv Aec«u 

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■ ' ■ ' I ■'! 

Cirtln i-jkiuIh UK buVOHOTllv 



ISU9) 



computer ONE 

SCIENCE PARK, MILTON ROAD, CAMBRIDGE 



I i t I 1 t 1 



NAME 



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SPECTRUM BEEP BOOSTER 



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TELESOUND comes complete with easy to follow fitting 

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CQMPUSQUND 





T 
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EPT; SU9 32-33 LANGLEY CLOSE, REDDITCH. WORCS. 
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£29.95 


a 


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further 


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details 


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METHOD OF PAYMENT 

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LI B»r C |iiy5-pra 

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ADDRESS. 



Lowering the 
Jolly Roger 

Software pirates steal over £100m a year. Michael Spencer shows 
how to protect your programs from the scourge of the silicon seas 



PIRATES are costing the software 
games industry mi 1J ions of 
pounds a year. The scale ranges 
ffom the copies circulating in schools 
and computer clubs to the large-scale 
commercial deception of passing pirat- 
ed copies for sale. Each copy made of a 
computer game robs a company or indi- 
vidual of the revenue which might have 
derived from a legitimate sale. 

From sales comes profit; from profit 
the cash to develop more ideas. The life 
of a game may be shortened by months 
as the number of illegal copies in- 
creases. After all, who will refuse the 
chance to obtain a copy of a sought-after 
game at a fraction of the cost? It has 
happened extensively in the record in- 
dustry, as we all know. 

You may be considering writing or 
even selling a computer game. A hit of 
effort now may prevent you being 
caught by the software pirates and also 
avoiding any infringement of the copy- 
right laws. There are ways and means to 
make it less than easy, but nor imposs- 
ible for the software pirate. 

There are no mechanisms supplied 
by manufacturers in the home computer 
market which will give any security. In 
the commercial market there are 
methods to hinder the pirates. One way 
is to put a serial number in the issued 
software. That is possible with high- 
cost, low volume sales. The solution 
cannot be applied to the low-cost, high- 
volumc domestic games market. The 
cost of doing so is far too high. 

To protect your creation from the 
pirate is neither easy nor completely 
effective. 'Tape copiers' advertised in 
many home computer magazines can 
usually defeat the protection which is 
possible. The copiers are advertised as a 
means of making personal security 
copies but nobody is naive enough to 
believe that is why they are being soid, 

Software houses and individuals have 
produced a few mechanisms which will 
make it difficult for the majority of 
computer users to pirate a copy for their 
friends. For the most popular home 



computer, the Spectrum* we detail ways 
in which you can protect your work and 
avoid copyright problems. 

The simplest method is to hide the 
program from prying eyes. For a Basic 
program the INK and PAPER colour 
can be set the same within the program 
lines, usually white, so that a listing will 
not be seen. To do that it is necessary to 
use a control character in a program 
line. A colour item is followed by a 
colour number to set the PAPER or 
INK white. CHR$16 is the colour item 
for ink and CHR$7 the colour number 
for white. Conveniently they are ob- 
tained by setting the Spectrum into 
Extended mode (E) and pressing 
SHIFT 7. 

Take the first line of the program 
down to the editing area. After the line 
number, press the sequence of keys 
which will give the effect INK 7. To 
make doubly sure that you will have the 
effect you are seeking it is useful to 
insert the control characters for PAPER 
white, too* 

Putting the Spectrum into E mode 
and pressing just 7 — do not press the 
SHIFT key as well — will do tha:. The 
line may have vanished previously; set- 
ting the PAPER white will ensure that 
it does. On returning the line to the 
program by pressing ENTER, the rest 
of the program lines on the screen will 
vanish as well. That may well mean that 
the rest of the program will be invisible 
but if you have used control characters 
later the effect may be reversed. 

Inserting a line that is not removed 
easily and will identify the program as 
yours is the next useful Thing you can 
do, Normally the line numbers on the 
Spectrum run from 1 to 9999. You can 
create a line which has the interesting 
property or being difficult to remove. 
The first line of any Basic program can 
be turned into a line 0, Create a line 
such as 

10 REM COPYRIGHT PERRY 
SUSBY 

Determine the start of the Basic pro- 
gram area by typing 



PRINT PEEK 23635 + 256 * PEEK 
23636 

That will give a value which is 
usually 23755, the address of the start of 
the Basic program area. It will point to 
the first line of your program. Each line 
of a Basic program is different internal- 
ly from that seen on the television 
screen. The first two bytes are the line 
number. For the line numbered 10 the 
first of the two bytes will be 0, the 
second 10, To change the line number 
to 0, type, 

POKE 23755,0:POKE 23756,0 

That will overwrite the line number 
already held and the line will appear as 
line 0. It cannot be removed by editing 
or deleting. The only way to remove it 
is to POKE a line number in the range 
1 to 9999 to it and then remove in the 
normal way. Combine this technique 
with the 'invisible program' and it may 
wtll prove sufficiently effective to deter 
some would-be pirates. 

The most popular way of protecting 
software in use is Break protection. 
Normally BREAK is used to stop the 
computer when running a program or 
when using a printer or cassette record- 
er. When a program is stopped by 
BREAK it can then be listed and, of 
course, copied. On the assumption that 
a program which cannot be broken can- 
not be copied, break protection has 
gained wide acceptance but tape copiers 
will still work — all they do is copy the 
tape. 

There arc two methods to consider. 
The first is to alter one of the system 
variables which controls the screen sijte 
in the lower part of the screen. That 
variable is DF SZ — define screen size 
— and is at the address 23659. Address 
23569 usually holds the value 2, Thai 
can be confirmed by typing 

PRINT PEEK 23659 

If you put in a line in your program 
such as 

250 POKE 23659,0 
the program will be break- protected, A 
program protected by that method can- 
not use the lower two lines of the 



50 



SINCLAIR USER September 1984 



Protect and Survive 



screen. INPUT is one of the commands 
affected by the restriction. Also if the 
program prints out so many lines that 
the request SCROLL? is seen, the sys- 
tem will get DF SZ back to 2 and the 
bceak protection will be losr. 

Programs protected in that way will 
have to use keyboard scanning to pick 
up user input — hint, use INKEY$, 
What is typed in will need to be echoed 
- to the screen so triJt the user cjh 
see what has been typed. Given that 
these problems arc taken into account 
when the program is being written, the 
technique is sound. IF break is pressed 
during normal running the Spectrum 
will crash and lock up. The only way to 
re-set the system is to power on and off. 

The second and equally simple 
method is to corrupt the variable ERR 
SP, the pointer to the item on the 
machine stack to be used as an error 
return. BREAK is a user-introduced 
error in the running program. Other 
errors are, for example: 

ARIAELE HOT FOUND 
C NONSENSE IN BASIC. 

When BREAK is pressed a report 
will be seen saying "BREAK ENTO 
PROGRAM" and will give the line and 
statement number last interpreted, 

All those messages are held in ROM 
and are used by the system when an 
error is detected. An error routine is 
entered and the appropriate report 
given. If you corrupt the return address 
to be used in the event of an error, the 
Spectrum will crash, as it is directed to 
another totally incorrect byte. To do 
that PKEK the address of ERR SP, 
thus; 

LET A^PEEK 33613 + 256 * PEEK 
23614 

That will be done in your program, 
as it is only possible to apply the break 
protection from an already running pro- 
gram. 

Having found the value of A, POKE 
a value to it, Some values will not work; 
try using values such as 1 00, 1 50, 200 
or 255. The value 200 is effective and 
causes a NEW. Results will v.jry de- 
pending on the value chosen. Choose 
one which erases the program when 
break is pressed. Put the line POKE 
A, 200 — 200 being one of the effective 



values — in the program to do it. 

To make effective use oT EKR SP a 
program must be totally bug-free. Once 
break- protected, any software errors 
will cause the Spectrum to crash. The 
program must be tested thoroughly. 

The other aspect is that the item on 
the machine stack is mobile. It will 
move up and down the stack as GO- 
SUBs are entered and left. For a pro- 
gram which uses GOSUB, the PEEK 
md POKE lines will need repeating in 
each GOSUB, The original contents of 
jddress A will have to be kept and 
POKEd back before the RETURN at 
the end of each GOSUB. If that is not 
done the program will crash when try- 
ing to return from the GOSUB. 

All that can be rather tedious and can 
add a fair overhead in code T One advan- 



tage is thai the method will allow nor- 
mal input, unlike the DF SZ method. 
The disadvantage is that if the user 
enters incorrect characters to an IN 
PUT the Spectrum may detect an error 
and crash. It is best to pick up any input 





[-AIRUSfcR September t984 



SI 



Co hunting with 




SOFTWARE FOR AL 




KntBR29TT 
Pteaa send rn* the following Verier 
number rrQui^d or each item 
m me space provided) 



C^itirneUnCCOij 
Cars*** Car iCCflli 



to "Readers' Accouni Mirror Group Newspaper j tut" 
I HMhiHinrJ that my remittance will &e h*rd nn my 

behahirHiw 

bank account 

named above 

until the 

aoodtan 

despatched. 



i plHAs* dehil srtf ACCES&BARCLAYCARD lor The sum ol 

T\ 1 II 1 I 




l 

Signature 
Name 

Address 



. card rmt_|__L_| I I L 



MB ttptu b AM Bn tain and E R«if 



Postcode 

MiiuuaZtNillVIIHxtfTi'ihiLIK WRHWbtflisjreoifc™iliasltF-*>rt*itl(Snii»»««l»tB(»IL«l).Co B»j htt mno feq Often UnSjoi LonttuFCi 



I 
I 
I 

I 



52 



SINCLAIR USER Stpvmbtr 19*4 



Protect and Survive 



r.i'Mmutd from page 5/ 

as character and do any necessary con- 
version in the program. 

The use of break protection implies 
that the program is already running and 
the user does not have 10 issue a RUN 
command. It would be pointless to issue 
a program which needed RUN typed in 
by the user. Once it is realised that the 
program is break-protected, all that is 
needed is a LIST to see what is there. A 
program can be saved in such a way that 
once re-loaded it does an automatic 
GOTO, The Line 

SAVE "program" LINE 200 
does that. Note that LINE is a keyword 
— below key 3. That will work only for 
LOAD an'd not MERGE. Using 
MERGEj a program which has been 
saved with the LINE qualifier can be 
loaded and it will not re-start. 

A second far less known method is to 
save the Basic program as bytes and not 
as a program in the norma) way. Parts 
of the memory can be saved using the 
CODE qualifier. Only the start address 
and the number of bytes to save to tape 
need be known. For example, the line 

SAVE "name" CODE 34000*200 
will save 200 bytes of memory starting 
from address 34000. Note that CODE, 
like LINE } is a keyword and can be 
found above the I key. The start of the 
program area is pointed at by the con- 
tents of the system variable PROG but 
it is more sensible 10 save, starting from 
the start of the system variables. That is 
fixed at address 23552, 

From thai point the block of memory 
up to the address pointed at by STK 
END can be saved. That is the statt of 
the 'free space'. So that the program 
will start automatically il will have to 
save itself, The next line after the SAVE 
line will have to be a GOTO line, which 
is obeyed when the program is loaded. 
In the program the following lines are 
used: 

8000 SAVE "name" CODE 23552, A- 
23552 
8010 GOTO NN 

A is the value of system variable STK 
END which has to be PEEKed to 
determine this. Use this line: 
LET A = PEEK 23653 + 256 * PEEK 
23654 

The value A is the location of thai 
start of the free space. Calculate the 
number of bytes to save between the 
start of the system variables and the 
start of the free space. Once saved, the 
program is re-loaded using 

LOAD "name" CODE 

It is not necessary to specify the 
numbers when loading. The program 



will start and obey the line which fol- 
lows the SAVE line. 

The point about the method is that 
the program begins to run immediately 
and break protection can be applied 
swiftly. Inclusion of the system varia- 
bles is an additional form of protection 
to prevent interference with the loading 
process. Another advantage is that if the 
system variable ERR SP is changed 
before the SAVE command in the pro- 
gram, the reloaded version will be pro- 
tected during the loading process. That 
b done by the line: 

POKE 236 1 3,200: POKE 23614,200 
just before the SAVE, That usually will 
result in a system crash but poking 
ERR SP is less predictable than poking 
the item ii points to on the machine 
stack. That item is used as an error 
return back to a specified byte which 
can be chosen for consistent results, 

This method is also effective against 
headerless load copiers. Normally the 
1 7-byte header created on the tape just 
before the program contains the load 
starting information. As the program 
has been saved as bytes, the header will 
show only the start address and number 
of bytes. Once loaded, the program will 
start anyway. 

Almost all games sold today are in 
several parts on a cassette tape. A large 
proportion, particularly the arcade 
games, are written in machine code. 
Many others have machine code parts. 
A typical cassette tape may contain a 
Basic loader program which will load a 
SCREENS file; load machine code as 
bytes; and load data as bytes. 

A tape with several components is 
difficult to pirate. Is is possible to chain 
two Basic programs so that the first 
which loads a SCREENS file — which 
gives the player something to look at 



during the loading process — can also 
load a second bigger program. Use the 
method which saves the program as 
bytes for the second program as well as 
the first, so that they both start auto- 
matically. 

A SCREENS file can also cover up 
the details of the components on the 
tape — set the paper and ink white. 
Setting the paper and ink white is also 
useful when the SCREENS is being 
loaded. It will not appear until the load 
reaches the attributes. 

All the above methods are technical 
solutions to the problem of software 
piracy. While Copyright Acts will not 
prevent someone copying your game, 
you will have some form oT legal re- 
dress. 

The principle of copyright protection 
under the 1956 Act is that the protec- 
tion is afforded automatically as soon as 
the original work is created. To qualify, 
the work must be recorded in some 
material form by a person entitled to do 
so. In the U.K. that means a British 
subject j a person resident in the U.K. or 
a U.K. company. The copyright be- 
longs to the creator of the work. 

Copyright entitles the person to con- 
trol the publishing, reproduction and 
broadcasting of the work. Copyright 
can be disposed of as if ii were property. 
If you have been asked to create an 
original work by an employer or are 
under contract to do so., the copyright 
may belong to the person who asked 
you to do the work. Copyright protec- 
tion exists for the life of the creator and 
50 years thereafter. 

Obtaining copyright protection is 
simple; no formal registration is needed. 
Some sensible precautions arc advised 
so [hat in a dispute you can prove that 

continued on page 54 




SINCLAIR USER SefitmtvT 1984 



S3 



= Protect and Survive 



contimttd from page 5J 

the work is; yours. Send a copy to your 
bank manager, solicitor or your pro- 
fessional association. Ask for a dated 
receipt. Even simpler, post the work to 
yourself by registered post and leave il 
unopened on receipt. 

The internationally recognised way 
of identifying a work as one having 
copyright protection is to mark it with 
ihe copyright symbol, an encircled C or 
the word 'Copyright' followed by the 
name of the creator and the date of first 
publication. For example, Copyright 
Perry Susby 1984. 

Your work has 10 be original to quali- 
fy for copyright protection. With that in 
mind make sure thai you have not 
copied from someone else. Consider the 
use of names, logos, musiCj utilities, 
screen generators arid compilers. Do not 
use a popular name to enhance your 
game, for example, the name of a well- 
known cinema spy or a famous product, 

There are registered [rade marks and 
names you must never use. Do not try 
to associate your game with anything 
commercial; companies will sue. The 
danger in using music to brighten a 
game are not easily apparent, The in- 
fringement is that you., if you copy a 
musical work, will be reproducing it. 



Even such a well-known tune as that of 
"Happy Birthday' has copyright protec- 
tion. Music of composers long dead 
may be protected under copyrighted 
arrangements with rhe arrangers enjoy- 
ing protection under the Act. 

Do not be under the misapprehen- 
sion that traditional music is not copy- 
right; almost all of it is. If you want to 
vise a musical work, OOOtKt the publish- 
er before doing so and expect to pay a 
royalty. The basis Tor a royalty calcula- 
tion is usually a percentage of the dealer 
price, less tax, or a percentage of the 
revenue from the sale of the game. The 
rate may be eight percent or so. That is 
a hefty amount to pay, so unless you are 
convinced that the inclusion of a copy- 
right tunc will add value to your game, 
it is probably best to write your own. 

If you Tind a tune and do not know by 
whom it was published or who owns the 
copyright, write to the Mechanical 
Copyright Protection Society Ltd, El- 
gar House, 41 St real ham High Road, 
London SWIG 1ER which will be able 
to help. 

There are a number of utilities, com- 
pilers and screen generators on the mar- 
ket which can make the task of writing a 
game simpler and may produce a better 
end result. If it is apparent ihat such a 



tool made the writing of your game 
possible, check with the originator, par- 
ticularly if your game contains lines not 
written by yourself. Some such pro- 
ducts state that their use in a game 
requires an acknowledgment on ihe cas- 
sette and on the promotional material. 
Err on the side of caution and check 
with the writers of the programming aid 
you are using. 

Above all, do not copy other games. 
Ai hestj you will be accused of a lack of 
originality, at worst taken to court. Re- 
member that companies and individuals 
already established will have sullidenl 
money to take legal action and you may 
have insufficient funds to defend your- 
self. Remember [hat the key to success 
is originality. 





' It is impossibls 10 
' tefl you everyihino. 
about the SO games on 
CASSETTE 50 but they include 
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mupve piaviny- 

CASSETTE 50 will aupe.il to 
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54 



SINCLAIR USER Sepumbcr WH-i 




Introducing the Sprint 



■ 



UK £ World Patents Pending. 



It loads Spectrums four times faster 
than an ordinary cassette player, 
uses standard cassette software. 

and has improved loading reliability. 

All for j ust £64.95. 



The new Sprint from 
Challenge Research will load 

and save Spectrum programs at four times the speed of 
conventional cassette players, this even applies to 
standard program and games cassette software thai has 
been pre-recorded at norma 1 speed . All this plus 
improved loading reliability is available tar just EM 95 
inclusive of post, pocking. VATanda 12 month guarantee. 
The Sprint is dedicated to both the I6K and 48K Spectrum 
and provides an innovative but inexpensive new concept 
in cassette tape storage. 
Use of the Sprint is simplicity itself; 

• Retains the standard Spectrum commands and format 

• Advanced digital cinzu itry and signal processing 
improves loading reliability and eliminates volume setting. 

• Simply plugs into the Spectrum port - no interface or 
external power unit is required, it even has its own 
expansion slot so that you can still use other peripherals 
at the same time 

• A full 4SK program will load or save in 75 seconds rather 
than five minutes wi t h a co n ven ttona I cassette recorder 



CHALLENGE RESEARCH 

A DIVISION OF A.E, HEADEN LTD, 
M High Street Ftottera Bat Herts Em 5B[ Ptitteii Barlol K i7< )7i 44063 



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Spend more time working your 
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If you have Visa or Access cards you may phone your 
o^er to ensu re faste r del i very by cal I i ng totters Ba r 
(07071 44061 or post the coupon below 
Please allow 28 days for delivery. If you a re not delighted 
with your Challenge Sprint sim ply return it within 7 days 
and we will refund your money in full 

TRADE ENQUIRIES WELCOME 

j r ■ I Mlen^e Research 

2ISHigri Street hMUrviw Herts ENOWI R-l IMinsMrKiWi+tir I 
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| UTK&LiHectwqiK/poslaloftfcTrTiadi'^ 



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I I I I I I I 



5U MM 



SINCLAIR USER September 1984 



55 







f*jw jour t6k and 48fc5peciftfnqet 12k 
of f ig-fOffTH f rgm a rww otrtnoge that's 
peffe for robotics 

Tho pete crfgersiut is the awtim 
Davrf Miriand and (ft the rjray TOM 
cartridge of its kind available 

ii fa. RS232 ana Parallel ports that not 
on^ fac State reflttic cofrtrol but are usaba? 
frt*n FORTH or BASIC with the par -slid also 
afcwing a Centronics printer to bedfivipn 

Due 1b an inierrupl driven "ftfWfc' key 1he 



^lecarimttjeliurig-up' and a number of 
routines *tf FORTH words a** Vectored 
aflowing reconfiguration 

Later in the yew a tottwaie upgrade will 
be available which will permit mufti-U&kirtg. 

Qf(*?r ihe spectrum FOfiTH I/O Cartridge 
F39+VAT uiing th* coupon Adding £5.75 pflp 
& insurance- i £ U3 far EuJOpe, £1 5 outside) or if 
you want more detailed mfyrmaiK)n J tick that 

faoX*Btead SUStfCT tQAvAM.ABIHTY 



11 



in 

Mdnn_ 



Mmm mid me Spectnrn Forth lO 

Latrdgir fH+VM 

r<i*^*»hi IB [J wtfnmiii ^ 

|~|muH ■ ~" la*] i-.i 



1 
•I 

SPECTRUM FORTH I/O CARTRIDGE 



r 
i 



.Pqsl cade. 



Send toSty*me5Dlr»v»r.B, J 3 Cu'Mri Raid, Bournemouth. 
BH1 «WPoriM.f inland Tgi OTQJ) JD^iSS 



Sic* vim t k 



SOFTWARE 



Games Programming 

ERIC SOLOMON 

At last . . , a book for the 

personal computer owner 

setting out to design and 

write games programs. 

Written in a manner readily 

accessible to the novice, 

Games Programming will 

appeal to all programmers 

who, weary of the plethora of 

'arcade 1 games, are looking 

for greater intellectual 

challenge in their play. With 

25 years of computing 

experience and a string of 

successful games to his 

credit (including 

Wadding ton's Stack Box), 

Eric Solomon has been able 

to draw on a wealth of knowledge when preparing his 

late si book Paperback £7.50 net 



The zx programmers 
companion 

JOHN and CATHERINE GRANT 

For anyone wondering whether to buy a personal 
computer, or for those who wish to realise the full potential 
of the machine they already own, this book is an ideal 
companion It gives completely up-to-date advice and 
information on the design and writing of programs for the 
tatesi ZX model the ZX Spectrum. Paperback £6.95 net 



CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS 

Th» Edintujrati Building S»iVr*t*w'y "*>«<, C"m unag* C*S MU,EDal»nS 




Keypanel Kits Keypanel Kits 





for High Flyers 



and Early Learners, 



\-ti-mhle a Custom 
Keypanel for each of your 
[ir<i|iCJnrn. and you create ;ur 
inMa.nl and individual 
reference io every one. 

Look ait these FeatBret!! 
Durable stay-flat Plastic not 
cardboard. 

Matl-hlack panel* kink super 
on your Spectrum, 

Pre printed 'Spectrum Red' 

Label* for a professional finish. 

I \efut too with a joystick for all 
those other keyv 

Each kit com* 1 * in a deaf 
plastic storage wallet and 

COII Lai lis: 

10 Malt-hlack Keypancli, a 
slit i.l COnLainlnf; over 140 sell 



adhesive liihcls pre - p r i rite d 
w lib WOftfS, syni Imls anil 

arrows, plus a sheet of 140 

blanks tor your own design. 

A mult for I IRhtl ' Pilot, 
Flight Simulation and all mulii 
key jja iiics and Husiru-ss 
app I leai Ions. 

The First add-on for your 
Spectrum, 

Coitom Keypaatl Kit* 
areJijl.95 plus .Up pap each. 

From W H SMITH and good 
computer stores or by return 
of pust from: 

SOrTEACH LIMITED 

I % College Muad, 
Reading, 
Berkshire R&6 |n| . 



The Spiiitum keyboard Is 
quite a complicated »i|{hl for 
< w ii .id ii 1 1 eyes, bin young 
children really do need 
something bolder to ensure 

they till the best 1'roni 

educational programs in 

particular. 

These flexible prill Led 
overlays are mounted mi 
individual U>cailrfg frames and 
produce a clear and simple 
keyboard for young users. 

The kit contains a complete 

range of panels, printed in a 

large clear typeface- f Niwcr 

case, upper ease, upper ami 

lower, hlank key outlines and 

two hi an k panels for you to 

draw on.) 

You' cb ttd will jjet more 



from your Spec tram with the 
Early Learnerf Hey panel Kit! 

Krom SOfTEACH LIMITED 

Mf.ollrKE Kuari 

Reading, L Verk shlreK ti* I tJE. 

I Please send me: 

>l C«iotn Kc? panel Kit* 
(f*i.t.9y pin* *Sp pAp rath 

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@J6Z.95 plu* Mp pip each 
I IDrrncu please add i VJt.) 

le(Mo*T» ihrque/P.o. 
payable toftOFTTAtll I IMITED. 



ADDRESS 



56 



SINCLAIR USER September m<t 



'Another No.l from Ocean' 




W&<M. 



m 







• 



• 



• 




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COMMODORE 64 



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Ocean House ■ 6 Central Street • Manchester M2 5NS Tel: 061 832 6633 
Ocean Software is available fromjH good software dealers and selected branches of; 

WOOLWORTH, WHSMITH, .^; , r ^SEli!ffi3, LASKYS Rumbelows and Specmjm Shops 




The humble 

dustman is the hero of a new game 

Chris Bourne tells how Malcolm Evans found brass in muck 



THE NEW GENERATION was 
born shortly before D-D. in 
1944, a few hundred yards 
downwind of Romford Brewery in Big 
sex. In fact, there were two of them 49 
twin brothers Malcolm and Rod Evans. 
"We moved to Portsmouth when we 
were about IS inches old 1 ', says RikI, 
lL and lived there for the next 20 years." 

Rod joined the world of finance with 
the listening bank. Brother Malcolm 
took a sandwich course in electronics 
and joined Marconi, where he worked 
on high-powered projects such as satel- 
lite technology. In the mid- 70s he 
moved to Smiths Aviation, where he 
became involved more closely with 
computers, designing hardware to im- 
plement computer control systems for 
jet engines. 

In 1979 he moved again, to Sperry 



Gyroscope in Bristol, joining its micro- 
processor applications group. There he 
found himself using Z-80 and 8088 
machine code language for small appli- 
cations of a classified nature for the 
Ministry of Defence. 

The Bristol factory was closed in 
1981 but by then Malcolm had his own 
ZX-81, bought for his birthday by his 
wife Linda. He still retains strong feel- 
ings about the quality of the machine. 
It is more flexible than the Spectrum,, 
because you can do much more on the 
screen, using re-location techniques. 
Everyone complained about the screen 
when it first appeared but in fact it was 
an advantage." 

By the time he left Sperry Gyro- 
scope, Malcolm had already written 3D 
Monster Maze, motivated solely by a 
desire to explore the capabilities of the 



m:i. lune. "Games were not Hjg business 
then," he says, "I wrote a game because 
a game can stretch a computer to its 
limit — your imagination is the limit. 
Computers solve problems; writing a 
game creaks (he problem." 

At thai lime Malcolm was a keen 
classical guitarist and played occasion- 
ally in folk clubs locally. At a ciub 
meeting in Bristol he met John Greye, 
who was also writing games for the ZX- 
81, and the two of them decided to form 
J K Greye Software Ltd. Malcolm took 
3D Monster Maze to a ZX Microfair 
and the game sold well. "I was pleasant- 
ly surprised,' 1 he says, ''probably be- 
cause I had not seen many other 
games." 

A lucky coincidence won the new 
company an order from W H Smith. 
"Smiths had already trashed the game 



58 



SINCLAIR USER Sepimtxr 1984 



Hit Squad = 



we sent them," says Malcolm, "but 
product manager John Rowland over- 
heard a small boy praising it at the fair 
and came to see us." 

Two weeks after Malcolm had left his 
job Smiths ordered the game, along 
with IK Breakout and 3D Defender. 
In the spring of 1982 Greye and Mal- 
colm decided to go their separate ways 
and Malcolm founded New Generation 
Software. The company obtained one of 
the first Spectrums in June of that year 
and continued the 3-D theme with Es- 
cape, Knot in 3D and 3D Tunnel. 

The concept of perspective graphics 
was a central feature of New Generation 
games. "I define 3-D as moving for- 
wards and seeing objects pass you. It 
gives the player an extra dimension," 
Malcolm says. 

In April, 1983 Malcolm found the 
scale of the operation becoming too 
much for one man to handle and invited 
Rod 10 join the business, bringing his 
financial and business expertise to bear 
on [he administrative side of the outfit. 
Rod was then working as retail manager 
of the Scotch House, an up-market 
clothing store in London, having left 
banking some years earlier. He had 
grown to dislike London and gave up 
the big city for the relative peace of 
Bath, where New Generation is based. 
Trashman, the latest and certainly 
the greatest success New Generation 
has had, represents a new departure for 
the company. "We had been producing 
games we thought the public wanted/' 
says Rod. "but they appealed mainly to 
the 15-plus age group. Trashman was a 
deliberate attempt to increase our mar- 
ket coverage. We wanted to appeal to 
the whole family." 

He says the company used to have a 
cult following. "John Menzies, the re- 
tailer, told us 'People are buying games 
by Malcolm Evans and New Genera- 
don, probably in that order'. We did 
not think the cult was what we want- 
ed." 

They decided to work out exactly 
what made a good game. <4 If I told you 
what we decided you could go and write 
games yourself," says Rod, "but origi- 
nality — and the feeling you must go on 
further to reach the next level — were 
high on the list.' 1 

Since the game was to have a family 
appeal, the subject had to be domestic 
— no space wars or fantasy monsters. 
The idea for basing a game on rubbish 
and a dustman was one of those flashes 
of inspiration people have in unlikely 
places — such as the bath. Unfortu- 
nately we cannot reveal what Malcolm 



was doing when he thought of Trash- 
man. 

Instead of using 3-D graphics, Mal- 
colm decided to have what he calls an 
'isometric view', a plan view of the 
streets with the houses in a quasi-3D 
perspective. That permits the player to 
see such things as the dog running after 
the dustman or the cyclists careering 
along pavements. The game was 
worked out to the last detail before any 
of the programming began, 

"I did not find it too difficult/' says 
Malcolm, "The first screen with just 
one house took a week and then we 
added shadows and other details." 

A great deal of attention was paid to 
details, "The whole game has to enter- 
tain," says Rod. "Quotes were put in 
for no n- players to read and enjoy the 
humour. There are 34 altogether.'" 
Even the colour of the houses was not 
left to chance. "I mean, here we arc in 
Bath. Sinclair yellow was not good 
enough for Bath stont-, so it had to be 
red." That attention to detail has also 
won New Generation an award, the 
French Grand Prix International Du 
Logiciel D'Adventure for best graphics 
animation. 

In Trashman, the dustman has to 
collect a number of bins from a street at 
each level; hazards include cars, vicious 
dogs, and even your own dustcart driv- 
er. Malcolm is already planning a se- 
quel, which will have an international 
flavour. At the end of Trashman you 
are awarded the diploma of the Acade- 
my of Trashmanship, winning the right 
to dispose of rubbish round the world. 
The sequel will build on that theme, as 
the dustman travels — paying his own 
way — to exotic locations with the sole 
intention of collecting rubbish. Mal- 
colm promises plenty of inventive visu- 
al humour to suggest concepts of 
'foreign rubbish' and says the game will 
be finished in September. 

Other projects include a cartoon ad- 
venture with cartoon-style humour and 
moving pictures, and a Fireman game, 
where you have to rescue people and 
save buildings from destruction. "Not 
exactly rescuing Esmerelda," says Rod, 
"but . . .". 

The company is run from a converted 
coach house in Malcolm's back garden. 
Lest you think he lives in a manor 
house, he does not. The coach house is 
very small and the main house is situat- 
ed in a leafy suburb of Bath, The 
company is finding its picturesque 
premises cramped and plans to move in 
the near future. Another indication of 
expansion is the hiring of two young 



programmers to write new games and 
convert existing software to new ma- 
chines — "We do not buy programs; we 
prefer to hire good programmers". 

Outside of work, Malcolm has no 
hobbies. He is a true workaholic who 
throws himself completely into any pro- 
ject on which he is engaged. Past enthu- 
siasms include astronomy — six hours a 
night bent over a telescope — and guitar 
playing. Since starting New Genera- 
tion, he claims not to have played the 
guitar at all — Rod has now borrowed it 
to learn music. Likewise, although Mal- 
colm has few computer games in his 
house, businessman Rod is a great en- 
thusiast for Jet-Pac from Ultimate. 

Malcolm's wile Linda, also a director 
of the company, says her husband's 
single-minded determination can be- 
come irritating at times "but there is 
usually a slack period just after a game 
has been launched when I can get him 
to mow the lawn — although he suffers 
from hay fever." 

Malcolm has no regrets about leaving 
the world of satellites 'and defence pro- 
jects, "I found working for someone 
else very frustrating," he says. "I could 
not meet the deadlines and also do what 
I wanted to do. New Generation does 
not feel like work at all and it gives me 
more freedom," 

Whether 14-hour days can be con- 
strued as Freedom is a matter of conjec- 
ture but there is no doubt that Malcolm 
and his clan are delighted with the 
results. 




SfNCLAIR USER September 1934 



59 










HIGH-SPEED 

COMPUTER TALK 

FROM PROTEK 

In ter<omputer communication is easy in anyone's language, thanks to the Protek Modem. Acoustic coupling provides 
a reliable link between the computer and the telephone line. There are no connection charges, the unit is totally 
portable. The flexible link between the mouth and ear-pieces ensures a reliable connection between most telephones. 

For E59.95 







Interface Packs including software 
are available for the following 

computers: — 
• ZX Spectrum 48K 04.95 

• B8C Model'B' Micro £14.95 

• CBM 64 £14.95 

• Qric Atmos 4GK £14.95 (available September) 

• Electron Q4,95 (available September) 

Feature* include; 

• Two operating modes 1200/1200:1200/75 

• Battery powered 

• Totally portable 

• LED Indicator 
# Compatible with any standard 

ft S 232 Interface 




British Telecom Approved 




Protek Computing Ltd, 1 A Young Square. 
Brucefield Industrial Park, Livingston, West Lothian 0506 415153. 



> 



60 



SINCLAIR USER S*ptemt*r 1984 




HORNBY * 

SOFTWARE 

SPECTRUM 1 \77 

PRO GOLF SERIES j jfo 

NEW ERA IN COMPUTERISED GOLF 

Reco mm ended by "Sinclair User". August 

EXACT SIMULATION OF BRITAJNS TOP GOtF COURSES 

(1) ALL GOLF RULES APPLY 

(2) DESIGNED FOR ONE OR TWO PLAYERS 
(3> PLAYED OFF ANY HANDICAP 

(4) ON EACH HOLE DIST, PAR, GREEN ENLARGEMENT 
(5> CONTROL SHOT - CLUB, STRENGTH, DIRECTION. 

SHAPE OF SHOT 
(6> GRAPHICS EXCELLENT 
m EXTREMELY REALISTIC 

" TROON £6 95 4SK 

NEW BIRKDALE E6-95 «K 

UNDRlCK £6.95 43K 

WENTWORTH - EAST & WEST COURSES £10 00 48K 

MOORTOWN - SCENE OF CAR CARE PLAN 
INTERNATIONAL 1984 £6.95 

9 HOLE SIMULATED COURSE 

ALL PRICES INCLUSIVE OF VAT, P+P. AVAILABLE FROM: 

HORNBY SOFTWARE 

21 PINFOLD HILL, LEEDS LS15 0PW 






HYPERBLASTER 

You a re commanding a prototype 
spacecraft on a test flight when you 
are attacked by an Alien force. 

Dare you lest your Hyperblas! and 
plunge into Hyperspace? 15 screens. 
Keyboard manes uverabihty of ship 
and fifing power. 



10V 



»>'^S 



REALM OF THE UNDEAD 

Can you fight off the vampires to 

reach the subterranean dungeons of 
Dracula'sCastie. where you release 
the imprisoned villagers and 
Dracula, who muat be lured to his 
cqtfin lor the finaJ chill? 
3 screens 



SCENARIOS 
VOLUME I 






For use with ihe Master 

CONFRONTATION program, this 

add-on pacfc gives you tour scenarios 

set in actual 20th Century Ccntlkcts. 

Afg hanistan. Angola, Smai and Kent following i he 

German invasion in 1940 

ybu'll find 1he full range of Loihlcnen games at 

leading record shops and good software shops 

including W. H .Smith". Co-op { seiectad outlets) , 

JUf^' ' j&Tffl' * * Jo nn Menziea" (seleciacl outlets!. Tiger Trader. 

/ Jr Spectrum, Makro r NSS* {selected outlets} 

r**x»*nm3) a Lightning Deakers 

J Please send me the followi ng games. . . 

HIcremouM^XSI 1S.M Hrp^rUmc Specif urn M* CMS 

Contra m.l, D nM™t.r Program rWm »f ttw UndMd 5p«ar u m «« f 

Sped rum +6K (IJt ; Sp«lil Op.rwiwn. Specif umMK 

Confrontation Scen»rki» Vol. I Top selling WW ll pcw^* game 
5pecKum4£K {Ml i~] 
Please send me your FREE Catalog ue 

I enclose a chequer'P.O, mada payable to M C Lothkxtwi. 
Please debit ray Access Accounl No. i 11 



□ 



cue 



ffifcis wclud€ wr* pa p 



© 



Signature 
Name 



Addr«$s 



PosiCod* 



■>•■. F 



LOTHLORIEN * ^^7 \ 

M C LffTHLORIE*! . 5*. Pk* Lira, ftifnlnn, atoctpon. Ch**Mri SK11 mE. 1W: Utojmtm IQUSr iTBVI} I 
S*«l to: it C tfl4trtQrt»«, 5fl» PmH Lin*. «ftj«Man. Stothpcrl. ChtiNn &K1£ fflf . r*t:fl>^ntmH1i*15)«™MT 



SINCLAIR USER September !984 



61 



TRUST SOLIDISK FOR GOOD WORK 



SINCLAIR SPECTRUM 
JOYSTICK INTERFACE : 
Sleek and handsome, its 
got to be the best Kemp- 
ston' compatible joystick 
interface around! 
Unlike other interfaces, it 
does not wobble or jam 
your keyboard with trail- 
ing wire. 

Price: £8.50 inclusive of 
VAT. 

LS (Large Swing) 
JOYSTICK: 

A Super Tough JOYS* 
TICK with Large Swing 
which can withstand the 
most atrocious treatment! 
A new and unforgettable 
experience! 

Everyone will prefer Large 
Swing JOYSTICKS. 
Price: £9.95 inclusive of 
VAT. 

SAVE MONEY WITH THE 
SPECTRUM JOYSTICK 
SET: 

By connecting the LS 
JOYSTICK directfy to the 
INTERFACE, we are able 
to save 1 5% on production 
cost, which we are 
pleased to pass on to you. 
Price: £15.50 inclusive of 
VAT 



•" •' • • T 






** "-- i» "... 



"- 



JOYSTICK INTERFACE 




JOYSTICK 



SINCLAIR SPECTRUM 48K CHIP UPGRADE: 
Despite severe silicon shortages, we only use TEXAS 
INSTRUMENTS certified 100% error free memory ICs 
and direct from the manufacturers low power Schottky 
TTL in this professional memory upgrade for the 16k 
Spectrum issue 2 and 3, 

So be careful when you buy the upgrade, it pays to trust 
the professionals. 
Price: £22.95 inclusive of VAT. 




ZX81 — 16K RAMPACK (issue 4): 
Luxury presentation and professional electronics. We 
bet you cannot buy a better one! 
Price: £22. 95 inclusive of VAT. 
Guarantee 1 year. 




I* U h II* II- ll- ll- ll II 



A 



ZX81 — KEYBOARD 

Hard keys, touch sensitive keyboard, lay it over the ZX 

keyboard and press down, no soldenng. This 40-key 

iey board gives the 'feet* to the ZX81 membrane 

keyboard. 

Price: £4.95 inclusive of VA T. 

Guarantee 1 year. 

SAVE £31! 
BUY THE ZX RAMPACK+ZX KEYBOARD 

IN OUR SPECIAL GIFT BOX 
AT GIFT PRICE: ONLY £24.95 INCLUSIVE! 



ORDER FORM; 



Hem Pries 

SPECTRUM 49K UPGRA DE . £22.95 

JOYSTICK E8.50 

IS sercffis JOYSTICK , . . £9.95 

JOYSTICK SET , C1S.50 

Post #nd peeking , E1 .00 

Total E 

Please complete/delete as applicable, 
Return to: 

SOLIDISK TECHNOLOGY LIMITED 

SINCLAIR COMPUTER ADD-ONS DIVISION 
17 SWEYNE AVENUE 
SOUTHEND-ON SEA 
ESSEX SS2 6JQ 



Item Price 

ZX16K RAMPACK C2J 95 

ZX KEYBOARD £4 95 

ZX GIFT BOX £24.90 

Post and packing £1 .00 

Tata! , , £ 

Name: 

Address: 



4 



m * ■ 4 + ■ * h 4 



Access or Barclays Credit Card account: 



OUR STORE tS OPEN MON.-FRl. 9,30-5. 30pm. TELE- 
PHONE SALES FOR CREDIT CARD HOLDERS. 
SOUTHEND-ON-SEA 10702} 354674. DEALER 

ENQUIRIES WELCOME. 



SOLIDISK TECHNOLOGY: BETTER IDEAS, BETTER DESIGNS 




Win the sequel to the classic adventure epic 

HIEUffiDSOfUDflKiin:.. 

DOOMDARI^ HEVENGE 

THE MISTY MOUNTAINS and dwarfish passages of Ieemark set the 
scene for Luxor the Moonprince's next adventure, Doomdark's 
Revenge. 

Lord Luxor's fearsome adversary may have been killed at the end of the first 
saga, sUin by Luxor's own sword at the bloody battle outside Ushgarak, but his 
spirit lives on. Revenge lies in the hands of his witchdaughter, Shareth the 
Hcartstealer, and she has smuggled Luxor's son Morkin through the Icegates 
into her own realm of Ieemark. 

Lord Luxor manages to breach the Frozen Gates with Corleth and Ronhron 
and just 200 warriors, and embarks on his quest to defeat the Ice Empress. 

Dwarfs, who have left ancient underground tunnels, Giant races and other 
strange creatures inhabit this world and they owe no allegiance to Luxor. 

If Luxor should fail, then the task falls to Tarithel the Dreamer, daughter of 
Midnight's Lord of Dreams, who has also entered through the Ice Gate and is 
out to rescue Morkin from his cold enchantment. 

The Spectrum version of Doomdark's Revenge is due for release in 
October but the winner of next month's exclusive Sinclair User competition will 
win a cassette of the adventure together with a framed painting depicting the 
Land of Ieemark. This beautiful map, specially commissioned for the competi- 
tion, will be the one on which the adventure of Doomdark's Revenge is based. 

Twenty-five runners-up will win cassettes of Doomdark's Revenge and a 
further 25 entrants will win copies of Spellbound, the exciting pyramid game 
from Beyond Software. Everyone who enters will receive a discount voucher 
redeemable with Beyond Software. 

Make sure you get your issue of Sinclair User next month by placing 





an order with your newsagent now. 

Please reserve a copy of Sine/air User for me next month/every 
month*. 

'delete as applicable 



Name 



Address 



SINCLAIR USER September 1984 



I 

•----•*»'»**>*>*> + < + l*l + > + l + »*l + l + « + l + l4i*Iti-tiii vrBHBBVi ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ m m m m i ■ t«llllll*lllllllllf ill 

I | 

Sinclair User is published monthly by EMAP Business & Computer 
Publications. 

H 



\ 



^v 



WW 



7 



r*f 



IN OUR 

STRATEGY 

PENTATHLON 

AH available for Spectrum 48K at £5.95. 

Selected titles available from larger branches of Boots, Greens, 

John Lewis Partnership, Rumbelows, W, M, Smith and all good 

computer shops or mail order from ' 

Cases Computer Simulations Ltd., 14 Langton Way, 

London SE3 7TL. Ml Ml h i ll 




64 



SINCLAIR USER September 1984 



"I'll swap four of my tapes 
for your Acti vision!' 




No way!" 



You know the feeling. A couple of 
plays and the best you can hope for from so 
much of the software around, is swapping it 
for something better. 

Well, the something better has arrived. 

Activision. 



One thing you can be sure of. 
Buy any Activision software and you'll find 
you're walking slap, bang into a totally new 
experience. One that lasts, 

See the first titles in your usual 
software store now 




LR.O PITFALL II ■ RIVER RAID ■ ZENJI 

cFMsioN 

Your computer was made for us. 



! 



SINCLAIR IS1R Stpnmber ISS4 



65 




LIMITS 



WHAT LIMITS? 



NEW RELEASES. 

The latest additions to our range 
are; -DARK STAR". 
(for the 4SK Spectrum). 
By Simon Brattel. 
HALLS OFTHE THINGS 
(fortheCBM64). 
By Graham Stafford. 

Just listen to what the authors say 

Simon. "HATE IT" 

Graham, "GAME WHATGAME" 

Rai nbow Softwa re we re 

unavailable for comment . . 

WHO ARE RAINBOW SOFTWARE 

ANYWAY? 



Tired of all this talk about going to the limits, 

pure addiction, mind blowing graphics etc 

etc? Welt we're not surprised. Ultimately of 

course the reason you buy Design. Design 

Software is its quality and no amount of 

talking will convince you of that, you just 

have to play the games to find out. 



Please supply: 

Spectrum 48K. HALL50FTHETHING5.D67.5O 

I NVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHA'S, j £6 .SO 

ROMMELS REVENGE. □ 66.50 

THE DUNGEON MASTER. 167.S0 

DARK STAR. 067.50 

Any Spectrum. ITS THE WOOLUF. LI £6.50 

CBM 64. HALLS OFTHE THINGS. I]£S.50 

ZEUS 64. DC9.35 

Dragon 3Z. 64. 

Tandy Colour 3EK. TUBE WAY ARMY. [1 67*50 

NAME . 



ADDRESS 



1 enclose cheque/pjo. for - P&P included 

I Overseas orders, please add E 1 .50 per Item 




m 



Sel ected tides availab le from: 

i^SSEBBSl hmv 



WOOLWORTH 

other large department stores and all good 
major software retailers, alternatively, send, 
the coupon to;- 



CRYSTAL COMPUTING, 2 ASHTON WAY 
EAST H ERR INGTON, SUNDERLAND. SR3 3RX. 
TRADE ENQUIRIES WELCOME:- 

Tel:061 -205 6603 

DE5K1N DESIGN ISTHETFUHMGNAMECTOUNDF&fLTD. 

The name Crysai s used under icence. 








GRAPHICS 
INSTRUCTIONS 

Instructions for graphics characters arc printed in Lower-case Idlers in our 
listing*- They are enclosed by brackets and separated by colons To 
distinguish them and ihe brackets and colons should nol be entered. 

Inverse characters are represented bv ihc letter "i"' and graphics 
characters by "a"- Thus an invert W would be represented by "iw'\ a 
graphics W by ,l gw", and an inverse graphics W by "igw", 

Spates arc represented by "sp" and inverse spaces by "i&p" Whenever 
any character is to be used more than once, (he number or times ii is to be 
used is shown before it, together with a multiplication sign. Thus "tV*i»p" 
means six inverse spaces and "(g4;4*i4:g3)" would be entered as a graphic 
four, followed by an inverse four repeated fout times, followed by a 
graphics three. 

Where whole words arc to be written in inverse letters they appear m 
I the listings as lower-case letters. Letters, to be entered in graphics mode on 
the Spectrum are underlined, 

Inverse characters may be entered on the ZX-8I by changing to 
graphics mode and then typing the appropriate characters and on the 
Spectrum by changing to inverse video and typing the appropriate letters. 
Graphics characters may be entered on the ZX-8 1 by changing to graphics 
mode and then pressing symbol shift while the appropriate characters are 
entered. On the Spectrum graphics characters may be obtained by 
changing to graphics mode and then pressing the appropriate character. 
User-defined graphics will appear as normal letters until the program has 
been RUN. 







E 



MULATE Rocky Marciano 
in Boxing, for the 48 K Spec- 
fr.ru m, by David Shaw of Barns- 
ley, Yorkshire, You must complete a 
Series of qualifying fights to become 
the undisputed world champion. 
Cursor keys 5 and 8 will move the 
boxer left and right, while keys 6 and 
7 raise and lower his guard. When 
the guard is up, press key I to punch, 
but key 2 when the guard is down. 



UR NAME <<14 LETTERS) "J a* 

23 INPUT INK 6t INVERSE lj H DP 

PENENTS NAME Ki4 LETTERS) '" so* 
30 FOR +"-12 TO 21i PRINT AT f, 



NEXT f 

INK O; ■' ( 17*ig 



1 BORDER Of PAPER It BRIGHT 1 
i INK 6) CLS t LET ef-9 

2 LET tinie*Ol LET M-7l LET y- 

3 LET round-It LET »*c=Ot LET 

b»c=o 

5 LET yrwin-Oi LET brmn-Oi L 
ET yrsc=Ot LET br»ir = 

6 LET yd»f=0: LET punch^O: LE 
T hit-Os LET arm°Ol LET bir^O 

B LET bi-Oi LET di*0 
9 PRINT AT 11,12) FLASH 1 J "UP 
ClXEftr'i PAUSE 50 

tO CLS I LET # = 7s LET b= 1 1 

11 INPUT INVERSE 1; INK 3; "Nu 
mber of Rounds (l-15)"irn 

12 IF m>15 OR rrt< 1 THEN BEEP 
l,-20i GO TO 11 

15 LET yst«-rn*10: LET batm-rn 

*20 

20 INPUT INVERSE Is INK" 2| M V0 



Oa INK Os "132* t "s 
50 PRINT AT 1,0: 
BJV(16tigB) " 

6* PRINT INK ?! PAPER 2; AT 1, 
l|a*iAT l,17;o* 

70 FOR f-6 TO 111 PRINT INK 7 
S AT f,3 { Mg51"i.AT f , 2B| " ligS> "i 
NEXT f 

SO PRINT INK 4eAT ll,3s"ig4,2 
4*q3,g7" 
100 PRINT INK 2lAT a,b| ,, J&T 
110 PRINT INK 3iAT *+l ,bs "JL" 
120 PRINT INK 4tAT ai-2,bi^£l' 
125 PRINT INK 3|AT a+3,b»"_D_" 
200 PRINT AT x,yt "6" 
210 PRINT AT K+l ,VI "H" 
220 PRINT AT H+2 f y|fX* 
230 PRINT AT H*5,yi "J" 
300 PRINT AT 20,Sj PAPER 6l INK 
Ol "FIGHT NUMBER! " scf 
900 IF e-f<2 THEN PRINT AT 0,0s 
INVERSE 1| INK 3; "*WGRLD*UNDISP 
UT ED * # CH AMP I ONSH I P* " 

510 PRINT PAPER Of At 15,01"!^* 
core° ,, -,yfici" M | AT 15,20j "R/mccr 
e'-'ibrscj" '" 

520 IP ef>l THEN PRINT INK 5f 
AT 0,0| INVERSE Is" CHAMPIONSHIP 
QUALIFYING FIGHT M 
530 PRINT PAPER Oi AT 17,0 ; "ET A 
MINA="svstrtls " " 
540 PRINT PAPER 0| AT l7,20l"ST 

AMINA: " sbstmt 

550 IF yStltCO AND b»tffl>0 THEN 
BO TD 750O 



555 IP bsfcm<0 AND y«tm>0 THEN 
30 TO 7540 

560 PRINT PAPER OlAT i9,0|"Tlrt 
E- ,h jtimei" " 

S70 PRINT PAPER Of AT 19,20|"R0 
UND=" ; round 

5B0 PRINT INK 2s PAPER 6| l AT 2 
1,0| INVERSE lt ,, ***THlS IS A "jr 
n;" ROUND CONTEST***" 

590 PRINT PAPER OtAT 13,0( N R/W 
INS- M syrwiri(AT i3„20t p R/WtNS- hl |b 
rwin 
600 LET r-INT (.RND*5p 
AlO IF b<y-2 AND r-1 THEN LET 
y=y-l: PRINT AT *,yi" H | AT k + 1, 
yi" "(AT K+2,yi" "tAT H+3,ys" 
": GO TO 620 

620 IF y<27 AND r = 3 THEN LET y 
-y+li PRINT AT x,y-2i" M i AT m+I 
,y-2j " (3*bp i " ', AT K+2,y-2| " <3#mp J 
"jAT K+3,y-2| "3*Bp) "t GO TO 630 
1000 IF rNKEY*="l" AND arm=] t Ht. 
N LET ymtm-ystm-li GO SUB 5060 
1010 IF INKE¥*-"2 M AND sr*-2 THE 
N LET ¥5tn-yst(H-lt BO SUB 5090 
1020 IF INKEYt-"6" THEN LET .arm 
=2= LET yd«f»2! GO SUB 5130 
1Q30 IF INKEV*-"7" THEN LET *rm 
-ll LET ydef-ll GO SUB 3150 
2010 IF INKEY#-"5" AND b 1-4 THEN 

BG SUB 50OO 
202O IF INKEV*-"B" AND b< y-7 THE 
N GO SUB 5030 
30O0 LET barm- INT fRND#3> 
S010 IF b*jrm-2 AND puncti*! THEN 

SO SUB 60OO 
3020 IF bar in- 1 AND punch-2 THEN 
BO SUB 6090 

continued orl pttgt && 
















y is^k: 

6O40 LET punch =1 
6O50 RETURN 


™ 






ill 






6O60 PRINT AT nt| ,y-| t "LH" 


iS 




, 


6O70 LET puncb-2 
dOBO RETURN 


^wl 


a^SzT" 1 


^^trvj^^*. 


Jl 


4Br<&g§i SSk 


60-^0 PRINT AT x,y-i| AT « + i,y 


r 


j§Uj? 


l ^IfQuB 


-1;" "fAT K-H,y-2j"LK" 
60V3 LET h*tm=bstm-l 


f 


TOrV'^TiiiEMha 




6100 IF a+l=a+l AND y-2"ti AND yd 




I "' "^v^^Si 




et-1 THEN BEEP .01 Y 0t LET di-Oi 




jm 




LET bi=bi*li LET bsc-b*e+l: LET 
ystfl>=y»tm-l t LET bstm=b5tm+2i L 




IA M 




ET brmc"br*c+l 




<& jf 


vjBBr^K 


61 lO IF bi>3 THEN GO TO 7700 




tit £ vf 


\JM £\ 


6120 PAUSE lOi PRINT AT x+t,y 2( 
6130 RETURN 




^^^8^ ^S&t^^v. 


70OO PRINT INK! 4 ? PAPER 2jAT 5, 


« Sv \S9 






^ak^ .\^S 




9j FLASH l;"FIOHT DyER"i PAUSF I 

00 

70 lO IF yrwj n >brwin THEN LET b# 


Kfl5 __ 






H&«t -^^- -," 


Ijy^V^ 




v %\lffW_kLv ^L *A/- 


^ 


B^x^^f ; ^ 


^g^^ 


7015 IF yrMln=brwln OR brwin=yrw 


aH -'^JfiBl 


wPO^M^wl 


■*■****? :ifiteL 




in THEN LET b*="A DRAW" 

7O20 IF brhiin^yrwin THEN LET b* 




tfte ^^^^^^JH^flyffr^i^? t ^ A yJuH 




»pr . -j^^fc^ 










7030 PRINT AT l2,C>i"AND THE WINN 






ER IS '■: PAUSE 50; PRINT AT 13 


Tf -ivSI 




,l7ib* 


* s ^ 




7033 PAUSE Oi IF e-f<2 THEN GO T 


y 


v^^n, L y-^ -\ k, 


^r-%J" «4i 


o eooo 

7O40 IF h*Oa* THEN PAUSE Hi RU 

N 


\ 


Ik 4atfP**^J 




70S0 IF b*Oo* THEN LET cf=cf-I 






l PAUSE Os M TD2 


^ 


i^afiv^t- V*?Kkfiil2ff 


V X4p Ss 


7060 IF b*="A DRAW" THEN PRINT 






v > J» . J 


AT 14,0) FLASH 1 ; " C7»-l REF IQHT N 






ECESSARY(S»-) ": GO TO 2 






ffe ~^8a*HBw 


7120 PAUSE O: RUN 








7500 PRINT AT 5,*?) FLASH li H FIGH 


* >_ ^~ 


T DOER 11 : PAUSE 1O0- 






751 O IF y B t»<0 THEN LET b*=n* 






f * 


7520 PRINT AT 12 f 0|"AND THE WINN 








ER IS.„."1 PAUSE 50s PRINT AT 13 
,17)b* 










eommtud from page 67 


b-lf "CSwspJ" lAT a+2,b-l| " <3*apJ " 


7525 IF c+<2 THEN SO TO SOOO 




3025 LET bdef-INT fRND*3> 


[AT a+3,b-i|" 
5050 RETURN 


7530 QG TO 7040 

7540 PRINT AT 5,*?t FLASH l("FIOH 






3030 IF bd«*-*2 THEM LET pvmch=l 


5060 PRINT INK 3 s AT «,b+ll*E*| 


T OVER" l PAUSE lOO 




: LET hit -2 l SO SUB 6030 


INK 2;AT a T b+2j"F"|AT a+i,bf"B " 


7550 IF b»tm<LO THEN LET b*-a* 




3040 IF hdef-1 THEN LET punch -2 


5065 IF b+2=y AND hit-1 THEN PR 


7560 PRINT AT 12,0|"AND THE WINN 




i SO SUB 6060 


INT AT w,y+l|^£jll BEEP ,01,101 L 


ER IS... ': PAUSE 50l PRINT AT 13 




3050 IF bdef-1 THEN LET hit = l 


ET asc^asc+l: LET di-di+i; LET b 


»l?lb* 




4O00 PAUSE lOi LET t i me«t l me* 1 


i=0:i LET b=tm=bfttrt-l* LET y«tm» 


7565 IF cf^ THEN GO TD SOOO 




4O01 IF 4ac)bic THEN PRINT AT 5 


ystm+2! LET yrSd»yr*C + 1 i PRINT A 


7570 PAUSE 0: LET cf=cf-l: BO TO 




,1; INK 6;"U";AT 5,30*" " 


T K,y+lj" " 


2 




400? IF b«e>**C THEN PRINT AT 5 


5070 PAUSE 10i PRINT AT a,b+li" 


7700 IF bi >3 THEN SO TD 7SOO 




,30[ INK ts^T^jfiT 5,11" ■ 


" 


7710 IF di >3 THEN QO TO 7?00 




4010 IF time>=VO THEN PRINT AT 


5075 IF di>5 THEN 60 TO 77O0 


7750 PRINT AT 1 2, Oi "KNOCKDOWN < 14 




1,13) FLASH li" <iqB,J^jiqS) "\ BEE 


50SO RETURN 


» } > " I STOP 




P .1,30 I BEEP . l,20l BEEP .1,30 l 


50TO PRINT AT a,b+lj" "|AT a+l,b 


7B0O PRINT AT a,b S - ' j AT a+l,bi 




BEEP . 1 , 20 


+ ls" " 


■' C3«sp)" E AT *+2,b; "POINT 3+»p 1 ■ t 




4015 IF tin»>=70 THEN FOR * -0 T 


510O PRINT INK 3? AT a+j ,b»ll "E" 


AT s+3,b>" 




50! BEEP .1,^1 NEXT f 


) INK 2|AT a+1 ,b+2( "F"' 


7B10 PRINT AT a+3,b-4i "NOPEF" 




402O IF tifl*>-70 THEN LET tine- 


5110 PAUSE iOt PRINT AT *+l t b+lf 


7B20 PRINT AT 13,0|o*i" WON py A 




0* LET roynd=round+l: LET B* lit 


" ,¥ 


KNOCKOUT * " 




LET y=17i GO SUB 4040 


SI 15 IF a + l-K + 1 AND b + 2=y AND hi 


7B30 FDR f=0 TG 50; BEEP .01,-fl 




4025 IF round >rn THEN GO TQ 70O 


t=2 THEN BEEP .01,10: LET a4C*d 


NEXT # 







mc + ll LET b»t4It=b*tm- 1 : LET b)-Ot 


7B35 IF c*<2 THEN OO TO BOOO 




4035 GO TO 4lOO 


LET di'-di+is LET y^tm=y5tinv2 ? L 


7B40 PAUSE Ot RUN 




4040 IF yrsobrsc THEN LET yrwi 


ET yrmc«yrmc+l 


790O PRINT AT x ,y| H "}AT «+l,y; 




n^yrwin+I 


5116 IF di>3 THEN BO TO 7700 


" ,h )AT ^+2,yi" H jAT K+3,yi" 




4050 IF bra:>yrsc THEN LET brwi 


5120 RETURN 


7910 PRINT AT k+3, y ; "LKSftO" 




n=brwin+l 


5130 PRINT INK 2jAT A+l,b("F M | 


7920 PRINT AT l3,Oj**l" WINS BY 




4060 IF yrBC"brec Oft brsc^yrsc T 


INK 2iAT a+1 ,b+l[ "B" 


A KNGCKBUT 1 "; LET C*=cf-l 




HEN LET yrwin=yrwin+l: LET brwi 


5140 RETURN 


7?30 TOR f-0 TO 50l BEEP *01 T fl 




n-brwin+1 


5150 PRINT INK 3[AT *+l,b)"B"; 


NEXT f 




4070 LET yrac-Oi LET brmc-0 


INK 2;AT a+1 ,h + l;^FJ'f AT a,b+Is"F^ 


7940 IF cf<2 THEN GO TO BOOO 




4075 CLS I QO TO 50 


■ 


7950 GO TQ 2 




4060 RETURN 


5160 RETURN 


SOOO CLS : FDR +=G TO 21 l PRINT 




4110 GO TO 100 


60OO PRINT AT x , y~2r "LK " 1 AT x + 1, 


INK 2; PAPER isfAT f ,0| INVERSE 




SOOO LET fc>=b-l 


y-Jf" H"t LET bBtm-batm-1 


1 5 "THE CHAMPION OF THE WORLD IS. 




5001 PRINT AT s,bs" "|AT *+I,b( 


60OS IF y-2=b AND ydet *2 THEN P 


..."l PRINT AT f t 0i " (32#*p) "i BE 




"(3*»p>"|AT *+2,b| " <3#»p> " ) AT *+ 


RINT AT a.b-li'M": BEEP .05,01 L 


EP .01 ,f l NEXT f 




3 , b | w ■ 


ET bBC=>hst + h LET di-Oi LET bi-b 


S050 FOR f-0 TO 21 t PRINT AT +,1 




SOlO LET at-INT (RND#3> 


i+1: LET ti5tm=b5tm+'2i LET ystm»y 


Oib*t BEEP . i,ft NEXT f 




5011 IF 5t=2 THEN LET yntm-yatm 


»tra-l; LET br*c-brsc+Ii PRINT AT 


B06O PRTNT AT 21 T 0| INVERSE 1|" 




-1 


A , b - 1 ; " " 


"|b#|" IS THE CHAMP ! ■ ! ", PAUSE 




5020 RETURN 


tOlO PAUSE 10: PRINT AT K,y-2f" 







3030 LET »f INT (RND»3): LET b=b 


"; AT k + 1 ,y-l t " \r- 


BO70 PRINT AT IO,Ol INVERSE 1 | " 




+ 1« IF «t = l THEN LET ystm=y*tni- 


6015 IF bi>3 THEN GO TD 77O0 


PRESS KEY FOR ANOTHER GAME " 




I 


6020 RETURN 


BOBO PAUSE Ol RUN 




5031 PRINT AT a.b-i: ■ M ; AT *+l, 


6030 FRINT AT m + 1 , y-1 ( " ±T t AT >i , 


BO^O STOP 



68 



SINCLAIR USER September 1984 



TELL THE TIME, from W D 
Owen of Wrexham, Clwyd, is 
an educational program for 
younger children to leach them to tell 
the time. The screen displays a large 
clock face and then draws the hands at 
different positions. You have to say 
what time it is* eniering the minutes 
Era and then the hour. 

The program, for the 16K Spectrum, 
uses special graphics instructions. For 
an explanation of how to enter these 
please read the instructions at the begin- 
ning of Program Printout before at- 
tempting to type in the program. 



B02O CLE 

PRINK AT T 3j INVERSE 1 ; "WH 
AT 1 5 THE TIME BY D.riWEN" 
S035 PRINT AT 5, Of "MI NUT£B ARE I 
N STEPS QF 5 ONLV. " 
BO40 PRINT AT 7, O: "MINUTES ARE 

TAKEN AFTER THE INDICATED HOU 
R, " 

B04S PRINT AT i0 f O» u YOU ARE AS 
*EB TO ENTER THE NUMBER OF Ml 
MUTES AFTER THE HOUR" 
8050 PRINT AT 13,0) M NEKT YDU WIL 
L BE ASKED TO ENTER THE HOUR, " 
8055 PRINT AT 16,0) "A RECORD OF 
yTJUR 5 CURE WILL BE KEPT ON THE 
SCREEN. " 

■ PRINT AT 20,7s , 'ANY KEY TO C 
DNTINUE" 

8065 PAUSE O; CI.S 
B08Q LET scor*»0 

LET SC*0 
8100 FOR n=76 TO SO a CIRCLE 127, 
95 ,ni NEXT m 
B120 F'RINT AT 1 , 15; "12" 
91 JO PRINT AT 2,205 ,h i" 
B140 PRINT AT £,23; "2" 
91 SO PRINT AT 10,24j"3" 
B160 PRINT AT 14,23s "4" 
0170 PRINT AT 17,ZGi "5" 
BlBO PRINT AT 16,15). "6" 
B19Q PRINT AT 17,1 L| "7 1 ' 
B2O0 PRINT AT 14, 8| "B" 
8210 PRINT AT lCr , 7 1 S ■'«?"' 
8220 PRINT AT 6,8t"10" 
8230 PRINT AT 3,lQ) ,r ll 
S240 PLOT 127,95 

B243 PRINT AT 1 ,Oi " INCORRECT " i P 
RINT AT 2,25 "SCORE-' I PRINT AT I, 
24; "CORRECT "i PRINT AT 2,2Sl "SCO 
PE" 

8250 PRINT AT 9, 15) " <g4 , i g7> " : P 
RINT AT lO, 15s " Cgl^)"' 
8255 PLOT 124,104a DRAM B,Oa PRA 
W 4, -4 I DRAW O f -B: DRAW -4,-4; D 
ftfiW -8,0; DRAW -4,4: DRAW O t Bl D 
RAW 4,4 
8260 RANDOMIZE ! RANDOMIZE : LET 

m;n=INT (RND*i3> 
9265 IF min=12 THEN GO TO 6260 
B267 IF min=0 THEN LET mirvMZ 
B270 RANDOMIZE t RANDOMIZE I LET 

hour =1+ INT CRND*12) 
B280 LET mins=fi>in»5 

8285 IF nuri5 = 60 THEN LET miria'O 
8300 LET z=B495 
8305 FOR n=l TO hour 
9310 LET 3=e+5 

9312 IF min=>20 THEN 00 SUB z+1 
B3I3 IF mins<-20 THEN GO SUB I 
S320 GO SUB 9030i PAUSE 5; GO SU 
B 9035 
8325 NEXT n 
9330 GO BUB 9O30 
B350 LET z-8593 
B335 FOR n=l TD min 
8360 LET i"z+5i GO SUB I 
8363 GO SUB 900Qt PAUSE 5 l GO SU 
B 9010 
B370 NEXT n 



TETL 
THE 
TIME 




S375 GD SUB 9000 

8400 PRINT AT SO^j-'WHAT IS THE 

TIME 7 n 

B4 10 INPUT "HOW PI ANY It INS PAST T 

HE HOUR7 H |« 

B420 INPUT "PAST WHICH H0UR7 "|h 

8430 IF fli-min* AND b-hour THEN 

GG SUB 9050 

8432 IF n< mins THEN GG SUB 910 



GO SUB 910 






- 1 



Oa GO TO B400 

S433 IF hOhour THEN 

Ol GD TO 9400 

B440 GO SUB 9035: GO SUB 90 10 

B442 PRINT AT 21 , 13| " 

6443 GD TO 8260 

8500 LET M-1471 LET y=J25a LEI a 
= -23i LET u— 21 1 LET q-lli LET 
p=-33: RETURN : REM short 1 

8501 LET K«l56a LET y=U7a LET * 
= -32i LET u— 13i LET q=-20i LET 
p=-25i RETURN a REM .5 short 1 
3509 LET k=160i LET y-112t LET * 
--36; LET u = -B: LET q=-24l LET p 
--20l RETURN l REM short 2 

8506 LET x-162; LET y=102a LET * 
=-30: LET u-2i LET q— 26; LET p^ 
-lOa RETURN i REM .5 short 2 
0510 LET k=163s LET y-96a LET ■■ 
-31 1 LET u-Si LET q — 31 1 LET p— 
9* RETURN ! REM short 3 
931 I LET h-160j LET y-B4i LET p- 
-24a LET u=l6« LET q--28l LET p- 
4l RETURN : REM .5 short 3 
B512 IF min»<20 THEN GO SUB i + l 
B515 LET *=157: LET y=7/: LET d- 
-21* LET u-23l LET q«-33l LET p- 
1 1 : RETURN : REM short 4 
8516 LET K«lS2l LET y-70l LET 
-16l LET u*=30l LET q = -29a LET 
IB; RETURN I REM ,S short 4 
9320 LET k-I46i LET y"66i LET 
-11: LET u»34i LET q--22l LET 
22i RETURN i REM short 5 
B521 LET h=136i LET y-62; LET *=■ 
Ol LET u=30i LET q--16* LET p-30 
i RFTURN a REM -5 short 5 

8525 LET k=12B: LET y*62i LET *- 
8t LET U»30» LET q — Si LET p-30t 

RETURN : REM short 6 

8526 LET xMIBj. LET y-62a LET •- 
JSl LET u-30l LET q = 2; LET p-30i 

RETURN : REM ,3 short 6 
BS30 LET -=110; LET y-66i LET *» 
26l LET U"25l LET q«lOi LET p-34 
a RETURN i REM short 7 
8531 LET n«104i LET y-72; LET *- 
28s LET u=16i LET q=-l6l LET p-28 
: RETURN : REH ,5 short 7 
B535 LET m=96; LET y-78* LET ■= 
6: LET U-lOl LET q-24l LET p- 

RETURN ; REM short 8 
8536 LET »l-93l LET y=BQ: LET *-3 
ll LET u-Oi LET q*27a LET p-12l 
RETURN ■ REM .5 short a 
8540 LET m=92: LET y=96t LET «-3 
2s LET u=B: LET q-32l LET p—B( 
RETURN i REM short 9 
S54 1 LFT v»93l LET y=106: LET *- 
26 1 LET u— 14l LET q-3l i LET p — 
2 i RETURN ; REM .3 short 9 
8543 LET x=-96a LET y-114l LET *» 
34a LET u»- 9l LET q-24l LET p^ — 2 
2i RETURN ; REM shurt 10 
B546 LET k-104i LET y-120l LET m 
=16: LET u=-2B: LET q-2Bl LET p- 
-16: RETURN i REM .5 short 10 
0550 LET x-1091 LET y-123i LET * 
=*23l LET U--21; LET q-lla LET p- 
-31 » RETURN l REM short 11 
B551 LET x-1201 LET y-12B ( LET ■ 
■Ot LET u=-2Gi LET q-12a LET p-- 
24t RETURN ; REM .3 short 11 
B553 LET X-12S: LET y-131t LET ■ 
--Si LET u--3la LET q-B* LET p — 
31: RETURN i REM short 12 
8556 LET x*139l LET y-128: LET • 
™-19i LET u--2Si LET q--3t LET p 
—28 1 RETURN t REM .5 short 12 
8600 LET c=160: LET d-152i LET r 
=-36: LET t=-52; LET v--29i LET 
b*-60l RETURN l REM long 1 
8605 LET c-194i LET d=l20a LET r 
=-60s LET t=-20a LET v--52t LET 
b— 28: RETURN ; REM 1 ono 2 
B610 LET c=192l LET d-96a LET r= 
-56t LET t-4i LET v--36i LET b=- 
4 l RETURN ; REM long 3 
8613 LET C-lS4a LET d-64t LET r= 
-60: LET t = 2B: LET v—52* LET b- 
ji: RETURN : REM 1 onq 4 



i.AJRUSER September 19S4 



& 






.-cmunued from page &) 

8620 LET c-lAOt LET d-40i LET r- 

-Jfci LET t-S2l LET v— 26= LET b- 

60: RETURN i REM long 3 

9625 LET C-12B: LET d=32t LET r~ 

4i LET t-=f>0: LET v— 4t LET b-=60s 

RETURN = REM long A 
a6J'> LET e=<?6» LET d-40i LET r-3 
t>: LET t-S2t LET v = 2Bi LET b-60s 

RETURN I HEM long 7 
S63S LET c-72i LET d=>64i LET r-6 
Oi LET t=2Bi LET v-52: LET b-36l 

RETURN : REM long B 
S&40 LET (= = t^i LET d=9hz LET r=5 
6: LET t»-4s LET v-36 I LET b-4a 
RETURN l REM long 9 
B645 LET c-QOi LET d-l20i LET r- 
fl4 f LET t«-28l LFT v=52f LET b = - 

■i'i : RETURN r REM long 10 
n.'.'.n LEI n= 5 ?i.= LET d=144t LET r- 
i ET > -- 5?i LET V"=3*: LET b"- 
45i RETURN i REM I crrg 11 




B653 LET C-1201 LET d=!£0: LET r 
■=-4: LET I — hOl LET v-4l LET ti = - 
6O1 RETURN i REM long 12 
90O* PLOT t,rii DRAW OVER Ignti 
PLOT c,d: DRAW OVER ljv t bl RET 
URW 
901 O PLOT c,di DRAW OVER l?r,t: 

plot Over iic,di draw dver ij 

v.H: RETURN 

9OS0 PLOT x,yi DRAW OVER It a, us 

PLOT x,yl DRAW OVER liq.pt RET 
URN 
9035 PLOT k,v' DRAW OVER l;a,u* 

PLOT OVER l|H,yi DRAW OVER 1| 
q,pi RETURN 

90S0 PRINT AT 21,13] FLASH 1 i "CO 
RftECT"! LET icore-»cort+lt PRINT 

AT 3,26f*ear*i BEEP . l,.3i PAUS 
E 50s RETURN 

9100 PRINT AT 21,13| FLASH Is" W 
RQNO "l LET *c=*c+i: PRINT AT 3, 
Sjmci BEEP .3,.3t PAUSE 50l RETU 
RN 




RICHARD GREENWELL of Normatihy, near Middlesborough, has written a useful Utile program to provide some 
fancy lettering on the Spectrum. Stretch, for the 16K Spectrum, will print messages on the screen in 3D perspective, 
stretching The letters more and more as the message continues. The program will also work with user-defined 
graphics, and thus could be used to create quite elaborate title screens 



1 REM #*♦************■***** 



2 REH prints ASCII characters 

3 REM at length specified by 
variable si <1 TO 24) 

4 REM at coordinates 

(variable x (0 TO 31) 
(variable y (0 TO 23) 

5 REM 1* contains character 
to be printed 

6 REM error i* si+y >24 or 
nan ASCII character used and 
usual printing errors 

7 REM *##**#***************** 

9 CLS 
10 INPUT "Please type in your 
characters" j k* 



FOR 
LET 
LET 
LET 
LET 



30 
40 
50 
60 

65 GO SUB 
70 NEXT o 
80 STOP 



o=l TO 
si "O 
X =o— 1 
y = 

l*=fc*(o> 
140 



LEN k* 



OR 
1*<" 



si 



140 IF k>31 OR x<0 OR y 
+y>24 OR si<l OR 1#>" OR 
" THEN PRINT AT 0,32 

150 LET cs=<PEEK 23606) +< (PEEK 
23607)*256) 
160 LET c~C0DE 1* 

LET cp=cs+(c*S) 

GO SUB 300 

LET co=0 

FOR s=l TO si 

FOR n=0 TO 7 

LET pos=16304+( iy~i ) *32)+yl 



170 

iao 

1 90 
200 
210 
220 



+*+Cn*256) 
230 IF co 



LET cp=cp+l: 



LET 
240 
250 
260 
270 
280 
300 
290 
295 
300 
310 



si THEN 
co=0 

LET co=co+l 
POKE pas, PEEK cp 
NEXT n 
LET y=y+l 
IF y=B OR y=16 THEN BO SUB 



NEXT s 

RETURN 

LET yl^INT (y/B> 

LET f=yl*8 
330 LET yl=y 1*2048 
340 RETURN 



7U 



SINCLAIR USES Squtmbit I9B4 



IN ESCAPE, for the ZX-81 16K, you have been 
wrongly convicted and imprisoned on an intergalactic 
prison planet. In order to escape, you must first dodge 
the guard to steal a fuel container to power your space pack. 
Then you must blast ofT with your spacepack through the 
outer zone which is patrolled by two spaceships. The game 
is controlled by using the cursor keys. Escape was written 
bv Jonathan Moakes of Ambleside Cumbriii. 



1 REM "'ESCAPE" 

£ PRINT HT 10 ,0 ; ".SKILL LtJJEL- 
ENTER fl NUMBER FROM 

1-10- 

3 INPUT R 

4 1 = - 1 OR R : 10 THEN GOTO 1 

5 LET E= R/10; 

■ i W W"" ■_■_■■■■ ■ 



II FOR F = i TO 30 

_- --_.■-. hT , e ; h$ ; hT 



: i _ _ = ■ s 
: H P E 



JONATHAN 



_Z PRINT AT 3,10.;"E 5 
: AT 4 , 9 J " " 

14 PRINT RT 10 ,5; "By , 
- £5 19-54'- 

_E PRINT RT 12,3 ' '"H ""..... 7 G 
. .; RT 14 . 3 8" " . , , r * GUARD" ; ht 
16 -- "g"" FUEL CONTAINER" 

£1 PRINT RT 0,0;B*;AT £1 . A $ 

£2 HE>,T F 

£3 LET R = I0 

£4 LET R5="H" 

- cr i rr p _-=■ 
CD ,- _ C — •_ ' 

£6 LET B$ = "H" 

£T LET C=J- 

&s LET !*■ =£0 

1= _ET :_£6 
30 -_ =30 

3£ LET P=0 

34 LET C$ = - ; a : - 

35 CL5 

36 PRINT A - : 



42 FOR F=l TO 21 

43 F«ST 

44 PRINT AT F.4.; " |" 

AH. iiP'^T P 

47 PRINT RT £ , 10 ; Ci 
43 FOR ==1 TO IS 

50 PRINT RT 20 -F .5, F 
-I ^i~ F 
53 '" LC -■ 

3* print rt 0,0; "fuel" 
55 for t=ss to i step -i 

56 PRINT RT > i J " 

z^ PRINT AT , 15; "TIME : " .; T.; " 

58 PRINT ^~ R , B : " " 

62 j_ET >■ =X + * INKEY J = " 6 " AND X <2 
0) - LlN^.E'^$ = :r 7 =: AND ■■ _ 

64 LET Y-=V"+ tINKCY* = "8" AND v 3 
1 -£INK£Y$="5' RND Y ;7) 

66 I r <=£ R: I =10 THEN GOTO I 
C -J -J 

68 IF INT R=X RND INT B=Y THEN 
" ~ ~ 2000 



-Q LET R-R+tE RND X>A RND R 



IE Rnl : X<A RND Aj-1j 



- _=- 3=3*^.0, 8 RND V>B RND B< 
, = AND y tB RND B>5) 
73 PRINT RT X=Y;A$;RT A, 5, 6$ 

73 NEXT T 




42*,' ' •- 



FOR L=I 




Qg pc-TNT RT iO.i. "YQ'J RRN OUT 
OF TIME, ";RT 19'. i ; BETTER LUCK 
• J -T TIME . " 
180 STOP 



1000 - - y=i 



, 



.8 



-_ — r" U I 



P=P + 1 



_ IQ u ■■_ : 
100S 
10 1 

1012 
1014 

1016 
10£0 
ILL 
OUR 
ST R 
TOUR 
ENT 
1022 



PRINT f\T 
NEXT L 

FOR G=0 TO £0 

PRINT RT S ,7j •' 

NEXT 

PRINT RT 1,8, "YOU QUICKLY F 
THE 7A.T 3,3; "FUEL TANK ON Y 

SPACE " ; RT 5,8;"RR0K AND BLR 
WRY- FROM RT 7,6- "THE GUARD 
RDS THE "JRT 9,8; "OUTER ZONE 
RR-jCE- " 
PAU5E SOS 

. ontinutd ii-pr f> , 



SINCLAIR USER September 1984 



71 





continued from page 7f 

1024 FOR i_=l TO 20 

_02S PRINT FT L,7l : 

1028 NEXT L 

103C GOTO 2500 

2000 CLS 

200S FOR F = l TO ,,,21.. 

2012 PRINT 




|§20 PRINT RT 18, i; "YOU WERE CRU 

GHT BV THE PRISON"; RT 11,10; l, GUR 

2022 PRINT RT 19 , 1: "BETTER LUCK 

NEXT TIME 1 " 

2024 PRU5E 4E4 

£026 RUN 

2530 PRINT RT ST^'b^mi^v- 



" ; RT R f Bj 
RND 

AND 



1 L 










2534 IF X-:4 THEN 50TO 5 00 


2536 IF X=8 RND Y>23 OR X»8 AND 


' 19 THEN GOTO 4000 




2537 PRINT A^" :*: ,Y; R$; AT A j B ; B$ .: H 




T C j D ; C 4 




2533 SOSUB 2500 




£54.0 NEXT 




2530 PRINT R7 20-P.l.;" " 




2502 LET P=P-1 




2504 IF P=0 THEN GOTO 9000 




2506 RETURN 




4000 CLS 




4_^££ PAINT "WHO FLEU INTO THE BR 




RRIER T*EH ?" 




4004 PRU5E 4t4 




4005 RUN 




5000 CLS 




50 


Ol PRINT "CONGRATULATIONS- OU 





2502 LET R$ = 'ffi 

2504 LET 54 = :! >" 

2506 LET' C$=" -■ +f 

2507 LET X =9 

2508 LET R =7 

2509 LET Y"=£0 

2510 LET 6=13 
2512 LET C=S 
2514 LET E>=24 
£515 FOR U=0 TO 18 
2518 PRINT RT X,Y;' 
;flT C»D;" " 

2 520 LET X *X+ C IN KEY $ = e 
0} - i:iNKEYS = "7" i 

2522 L ET Y *Y + « INK EY $ = ' r S ' ' 
0} - t INKEY $ =" 5" RND Y > 6 ) 
2^24 LET B=B+1 

2526 IF E=22 THEH LET B=l5 

2523 LET D=D-1 

£530 IF D-15 THEN ^5T D=23 

2532 IF X-R RND Y =E OR X=C RND Y 

=D THEN GOTO 6000 



■■■/ 



i3 



HRUE ESCAPED FROM THE INTERPL 
RNETRRY PRISON PLRNE^ 

5002 PRINT RT 20:0: "PRESS ANY KE 
v FOR ANOTHER SO..*" 

5003 PAUSE 4E4 

5004 CLS 
S006 RUN 
6000 CLS 

R001 PRINT "VERY GOOD - NOW TR < 
IT U ITH "■ f U R EY E 5 OPEN ... ' 



t?003 

6 O 4 

Q000 

9002 

KING 
FUEL 
9004 
9005 

l: 

9003 
9010 
9500 
2S10 



PAU 

RUN 

CLS 

PRINT 

YOU 

LEUEL 

PRINT 

PRINT 

PAUSE 
RUN 
5RUE 
e? y w 



5E 4E4 



:: IF YOU HAD BEEN THIN 
MIGHT HRUE SEEN THE 
DROPPING 1 ' 

'* NEMER M I ND -T RY A G A IN 

4E4 
: E5ChP§ 1 ' 




72 



SINCLAIR USER September 1984 



PYRAMID for the 48 K Spec- 
trum is based on the success- 
ful Q-Bert game where you 
have to paint in the blocks of the 
pyramid while avoiding the creatures 
which chase you. Our version by 
David Bradley of Manchester starts 
at a relaxed pace, but by the time you 
reach the highest levels you will have 
to contend with the vicious snake 
and team how to use the lifts. 

Pyramid uses sophisticated graph- 
ics, so please rt&d the instructions at 
the beginning of Program Printout. 






1 BORDER Ol PAPER Ol INK 7i B 
RIGHT 1 1 I CCS " ' 

2 GO TO S5O0 
4 BEEP .3,7: BEEP . 15,4t BEEP 

. 15,2i BEEP .15,0* BEEP -15,-3t 
BEEP .45,-4 
Z RETURN 

6 LET hi=Oi LET lives-3i LET 
score-Oi LET *creen=l 

7 IF liv»s*=0 THEN GO SUB 690 


9 RANDOMIZE 
10 RESTORE 900Oi FOR f-USR "a" 
TO USR M h"+7i READ ai POKE *i*» 
NEXT i 

12 PRINT INK 2; "SCREEN ") 

13 PRINT INK 5 i screen | 

14 PRINT INK 3? TAB 25| "SCORE" 

15 PRINT INK 6tAT 3,25j"HI0HE 
ST'iAT 4,25? INK 4) hi 

17 IF tntirc-0 THEN PRINT AT 1 
25; "0" 

IB IF score >0 THEN PRINT AT 1 
,255 scare 

19 PRINT INK 3? "LIVES" 

20 BRIGHT O 

100 LET r = 16i LET x-Oi LET y*0 

110 FOR q-1 TO 5 

120 FOR +-A+K TO 22-y STEP 4 

130 PRINT INK 4,j AT z , * + 1 ) VAB," J 
AT i+l,f i "A(2»SP)B"sAT z+2,f|"6t 
2*SP)H"fAT z+3,f 1 "OBADJ iAT s+4,f 
t "BPCA" )AT z+S,4+li"EF" 

140 NEXT f 

145 LET z=z-4: LET h-x+2s LET y 
-y+2 

ISO NEXT g 

200 RESTORE 91O0( FOR f-USR "a" 

TO USR ■t"+7l READ a: POKE f ,«i 

NEXT f 

210 LET afg" ABABAB" l LET b*="CD 
CDCD") LET *=17: LET b=l5: LET q 




SOO IF scrserKA THEN GO TO 100 
O 
600 IF *creen=6 THEN GO TO 200 


700 IF seri»en=7 THEN GO TO 1O0 



BOO IF 5cr«r=fl THEN GO TO 300 



850 IF scrnn-9 THEN GO TO 200 



900 IF Ecr§Bn>=10 THEN GO TO 5 
000 

1000 LET d-Oi LET j-Oi LET i»scr 
eeni LET g = 0: LET h=0 
1010 LET v-l! LET w=l5» LET p«Of 

LET »-]NT <RND*2> 
1020 LET t-JNT (RND*4U IF t+l >- 
4 THEN PRINT INK 5; PAPER 6; AT 

v,wi"_IJ"|AT v+l.wt"KL": GO TO 1 
095 

1030 IF q=l THEN PRINT IN* 7( 
PAPER 1;AT * , b i " AB " ; AT »+l,t>;"CD 

1035 IF q-O THEN PRINT INK. 7; 



PAPER ljAT a.b; H EF"t AT a+1 ,bs '".SH 

1037 IF ATTR <*-l^b}=6 THEN PR1 
NT INK 1| PAPER OjAT a~l,ta; "TS" 
;AT # t b-l;'J^;AT a ,b+2i "B" ( AT a + 
l,tr-4t < *ft H lAT ^+l,b+2("C M ;AT a+2, 
b ; " RQ" 1 LET score=icare+25i LET 
j«j+ts PRINT AT 1,23; scare 

1040 LET d*«INKEY* 

1041 LET d=d-i 

1045 IF ATTR <a+2,b~3>-67 AND d* 
=CHR* 122 THEN PRINT PAPER IsA 
T a,bi "' <2*=p> "sAT a+1 ,b j " <2**p > " 
1 LET b-b-4i PRINT INK 7iAT *,b 
; "Afi" j AT flti,bj "CD" t GO TO 70O0 

1046 IF ATTR <*+2 T b+4>-67 AND d* 
=CHR* 32 THEN PRINT PAPER 1 : AT 

* T b«" *2*sp> "I AT *+l,b] " <2#»p) "i 
LET b*b+4s PRINT INK 7]AT a,bj 
"EF";flT s+ 1 , b ; "JJH" 1 GO TO 8OO0 
1050 IF ATTR <a+3,b>=6 THEN BEE 
= .01, tRWD#20) -10 

105^ IF ATTR l*+3,b)<>6 THEN CL 
S i GO SUB 4i LET 1 iv**»l i ves-1 t 
GO TO 7 

1056 IF icrnn >= 10 AND a-g AND b 
=h THEN GD SOB 4: CLS s LET tiv 
•9-1 ives-l : GO TO 7 

1057 IF »crMrK=e AND t + i^-4 AND 
■-v AND b=w THEN GO SUB 4: CLS 
s LET livss=Iivet-l: GO TO 7 

103B IF ■cree-n ;■■■"? AND «K**D AND a 
-v AND b-w THEN 00 SUB 4s CLS t 

LET UvM*liVM-ll GO TO 7 
105*7 IF J- 15 THEN RESTORE 94O0: 

FOR 4-1 TO 19i READ a: BEEP .07 
,ai NEXT it CLS 1 LET scritn-icr 
een + li LET icore^icnre+i #25) BCJ 
TO 7 

1060 PRINT BRIGHT If INK 6[AT 3 
,0|a*H TO ltves*2)5flT 4,0:b*< TO 

lives*?) 



1070 IF d*=CHR* 113 THEN 
PAPER ljAT a,bj " (2»*p) '" 
b|"<2**p>"'i BEEP . Ol,30i 
-4: LET b-b~2l LET q-O 
1072 IF d*=CHR* 112 THEN 



PRINT 
AT #+l 
LET t'4 



PRINT 
I AT a+] , 

LET ■-* 



PAPER 1(AT A,bi ■ C2*«p> ' 
b( " (2*sp) ": BEEP ,01,301 
-4l LET b-b+2: LET q-1 
1074 IF df=CHR* 122 THEN PRINT 

PAPER 1 1 AT i,brM2*ip)"|AT *+l, 
bi"(2*mp)'*i BEEP ,01,30* LET *-* 
+4; UET b=b-2i LET q*=0 

1C7E IF d*-CHR* 32 THEN PRINT 
PAPER 1 5 AT e,b; " <2»sp) '[AT a*I,b 

; ,, i2*ap)"i BEEP . Ol,30* LET *=*+ 
4s LET b=b+2: LET q-1 

1074, IF d*-CHR* 122 AND ATTR <a + 
4,b+2>»0 OR ATTR (a+4,b+2>^> 1 
N SD SUB 4 j CLS 
es-1: GO TD 7 

1077 IF screen 



LET livi 





107B 


1079 
O 

1 oso 



liv 

b THEN GO TO 201 
IF Gcreen-G THEN GD TO 301 
IF screen=9 THEN GO TO 201 



IF 



'10 AND y=0 THEN 
= !<.. AND y-1 THEN 

GO TU 



I'll' 



■cr«n> 
GO TO 5002 
1 091 IF icntn ; 

GO TO 5O2'0 
10G3 IF t+1 >-4 THEN 
iOB4 GO TO 10 10 
J0G6 IF e-O THEN LET p-p+2 
1087 IF b=1 THEN LET p-p-2 
1090 PRINT PAPER BjAT v,djNZ#| 
p>"|AT v+1 ,wj " <2*sp) " 
1095 LET v"v+4t LET N"w+p 
1 100 LET p»0 
1105 IF screen-5 THEN LET e=INT 

<RND*2> 
UIO IF v>!7 THEN GO TO 1010 

(cnirnuai un puf;£ 14 



SINCLMft USER Seviember 1SS4 



71 




auntmed frcm page 79 

1120 PRINT INK 5; PAPER 9jAT v. 

h;" U _";AT v+l.wt "KL" 

IJ50 SO TO 1030 

2000 LET g=Or LET h-Oi LET d-Os 
LET J-Oi LET i=icreen: LET e-Oi 
LET vll LET w=!5: LET t-0 

2001 IF screen >-9 THEN PRINT I 
Nh 3| BRIGHT i ; AT 19, 3j "KL" 1 AT 1 
9,27 ; "KL" 

2002 LET p=INT (RND#2> 

2004 IF p-1 THEN LET t = +2 

2005 IF p=0 THEN LET t— 2 
2010 IF d<-0 THEN PRINT INK 4| 

PAPER SjAT v,w; "HN" jftT v + 1 , w; 'MD 

L" 

2020 IF q-1 THEN PRINT INK 7; 
PAPER ljAT a.bi "AB" ;AT a+1 ,b; "C 

II 

2030 IF q*0 THEN PRINT INK 7; 
PAPER ljAT a.bt "EF" jflT a+l.bi"GH 

II 

2050 IF ATTR (■-l,b)-6 THEN PRI 
NT INK 1; PAPER O ( AT *~1 ,ttl "TS" 
jAT a,b-l;^T^|AT *,b + 25"S"jAT *+ 
1 ,b-li "R' tAT a + 1 ,b + 2( "B*|A1 a + 2 , 
hl H RO"l LET 9COre=5ccret25l LET 
j=j+1i PRINT AT 1,25s score 
2O60 LET e-e+<INT <RND*5)+i/4) 
2Q61 IF screen >=9 AND d<«0 THEN 

LET b=p+(INT !RND*5>+i /Zi 
2062 IF e>-IO AND v<* AND w<b TH 
EN PRINT PAPER B;AT v , Iff " "iA 
T v+1 ,wi " (2#Bp>": LET v-v+4i LET 

m "i i 1 2i LET e-0 
2064 IF e>«10 AND v>a AND w b TH 
EN PRINT PAPER B3AT v,wi'<2#Bp 
>";AT v+1 ,wj " <.2*sp> "l LET Vv-4i 

LET w=w-2s LET e-O 
2066 IF b>=10 AND v >a AND w<b TH 
EN PRINT PAPER S^AT v,wf " <2#*p 



": LET v=v-4l 



AND 

V ,1nH 

LET 

AND 
v,i* 
LET 



w>b TH 
■ <2*sp 
v=v+4l 

M >b TH 

i" <2#«p 

v»v+Q* 



R 9;AT w,w S " (2*SPJ *jAT v+l,m 
*SP)"i LET v-v-4i LET w-w-2 
7064 IF e-2 AND v>=5 AND ATTR (v 
-4,h+3)-6 QR e-2 AND v>-5 AND AT 
TR <v-4,*+3>=! THEN PRINT PARE 
R 8;AT v,wj 
*»p)" ( LET v=v-4j LET 
3uib6 IF e=3 AND v<-13 
v+4,h-3)"6 OR e="3 AND 
ATTR 

REP BiAT 
<2*ap) "I 



•■■•i 1 2 

AND ATTR ( 
v<-13 AND 
iv+4,w-3>»l THEN PRINT PA 



v, wi " (2*sp> M ( AT v+l,w 
LET v«-v + 4l LET w-w-2 
*«4 AND ATTR !v+4,w+3> 



v,w)" <2#*p> " lAT 
LET v=v+0: LET 



} "iAT v+l,*s" (2#*p> 

LET w=w+2( LET *?=0 

2069 IF b>=10 AND v<a 
EN PRINT PAPER S? AT 
J "iAT v+i ,w: " <2#sp> ": 

LET w=w-2i LET e=0 

2070 IF e>=10 AND v=a 
EN PRINT PAPER BiAT 
) ";AT V+l,**| " C2*sp>"J 

LET w-w-4i LET e-0 
2072 IF e>-10 AND v-a 
EN PRINT PAPER Si AT 
) ";AT v+1 , wf " <2*sp>"t 

LET w=w+4s LET e-O 
2074 IF e>=10 AND v<a 
EN PRINT- PAPER Si AT 
j "5 AT v+1 ,«; " !2*sp3 "; 

LET w-w+t; LET e=0 
2076 IF e>= 10 AND v>* 
EN PRINT PAPER B|AT 

2*SP)";AT v+l,w| M (2#*p> 
■v-4: LET w=w+t r LET e M 
2090 GO TO 104O 
7000 LET j=Os LET i-ecr«ni 
v^li LET w-15i LET t-0 
3010 PRINT INK 5? PAPER BjAT 
w;"IJ"lAT v+l.wi^KLl 1 
302O IF q-1 THEN PRINT INK 7j 
PAPER 1|AT a.ba"AB"i AT a+1 ,b; '^L 

Ml 

3O30 IF q«0 THEN PRINT INK 7) 
PAPER 1|AT a.bi "Er" ;AT *+Ubj'^ti 

3050 IF fiTTR <«-l,b>-6 THEN PRI 
MT INK 1, PAPER OiAT a-1 ,b| "JS^ 
I AT * v b-ll^T: , l AT *,h+2j^Sl')AT *+ 
t T te»Il"R" ljgT i+ltb+Si^'lAT a+2, 
bi "RP ''^ LET score a score+25i LET 
:=j+li PRINT AT l,25[»eore 
3060 LET e-INT (RND*6>+1 
3062 IF R=l AND v>=5 AND ATTR tv 



3068 IF 

OR e^=4 AND ATTR <v + 4,w+3)-l THE 
N PRINT PAPER BfAT v ( Mj"(2*sp> 
"[AT v+1 ,wj " (2*«p> "i LET v-v+4i 
LET w=w+2 

3070 IF e-5 AND ATTR (v,w-21=6 
R e»5 AND ATTR 
RINT PAPER B; AT 

v+1 ,w.j " (2*spl ": 
wf=m-4 

3072 IF e-6 AND ATTR (v,hi + 3>-6 
r e ={, AND ATTR !v,w+3)-l THEN P 
RINT PAPER BfAT v, m\ " (2*Bp > " t AT 

v+l,w|" (2*sp>" i LET v=v+Oi LET 
w=w+4 
30B0 SO TD 10*0 

5000 LET d-Ol LET j-Qj LET i=icr 
eeni LET b=-Oi LET v*li LET w-15t 

LET t"Ol LET v - 

5001 PRINT INK 3| BRIGHT 1 j AT 1 
9,3("KLJ'sAT 19.27| "KL" 

5002 LET p=INT (RND*4> 
S0O3 
= S<? 
50O4 
-27 

5005 IF 3=2 THEN LET g~!3i LET 
h-29 

5006 IF 5=3 THEN LET g^l7i LET 
h=27 

5007 PRINT INK S| PAPER S T AT q. 
h;"IJ";AT a+l.hl"KL"l LET y=»l 



IF »=0 THEN LET g-5t LET h 
IF 6=1 THEN LET q=9: LET h 



aoio 

5012 
5014 
5020 
BjAT 
p) " * 
5022 



AND n<b TH 

v ,W) " (2+ap 
LET v»v+Ol 

AND n=b TH 
v,wj"(2#Bp 
LET v-v+4: 

AND *=b TH 
v,w[ "POINT 
LET v 



LET 



LET p=INT *RND»2> 
IF p-1 THEN LET t-+2 
IF p-0 THEN LET t=--2 
IF h>-6 THEN PRINT PAPER 
g,h|" (2*=p>" ?AT g+l,h?"<2»s 
LET h-b-4 

IF h>=6 THEN PRINT INK 5p 
PAPER ©5 AT a.hl- jJ -'iAT g + l,h» M Jl 
L" 

5024 IF h<6 THEN PRINT AT g,h|" 
(2*ap)"iAT g+l,h; " (2*»p) ": LET y 
= n 

5025 IF d<>0 THEN PRINT INK 4) 
PAPER 9 j AT v.hi "HN" |AT v+l.wi'O^ 

P« 

5O30 IFq-1 THEN PRINT INK 7j 

PAPER ljAT a,b) "AB" jAT *+l,b|1££ 

5O40 IF q=0 THEN PRINT INK 7 f 
PAPER l^AT a.bi "EF"|AT a+l,b; J ^J± 

5050 IF ATTR !a-l,b>»6 THEN PRI 
NT INK t; PAPER OjAT ■-! ,b{ "TS" 
'(AT *,b-ii J^'jAT a,b+2; '^IIjAT *+ 
|,b-lf>^;|AT a+l,b+2|"^|AT a+2, 
bj "RO"i LET acori-»care+25i LET 
PRINT AT l,25)§Eore 
Q9 TO 2060 
FOR t=l TO B 

PRINT AT i,b; " <2#Bp)";AT *+ 
"(2*sp)";AT a+2,b; "C2*sp) "i 
vic = l: LET * = a-2t LET t»=b+l 






i - ■ * 
5060 
7000 
7O04 

1 ,b) 
LET 



PRINT AT a,b 
>, INK 3i BR1 



-4,w-3>= 
TP (v-4. 



OR 
3> = 



= 1 AND 
THEN 



7005 BEEP .01„3O+fi 

. "ftp" ; AT a+ 1 , b ( "_C " 

GHT 1 (AT a+2 f b> " KL " 

7010 PRINT PAPER BjAT v,h;"(2»*. 

p) " j AT v+1 ,w; " <2*sp» " 

7030 NE«T f 
v>=5 AND AT 704:0 PRINT AT a,bi " (2*sp I N ; AT a + 
PRINT RAPE l,bi"<2*sp>' , (AT a+2 t fa| "(2*ip) " : 



7 + 












w«15l LET d-3j GO TO 1030 

8500 RESTORE 930O; FOR f-USR "•" 
TO USR "t"+7e READ ii POKE *,** 
NEXT f 

B502 LET a*-' , ABBBBBBBBBBE'E'PFE'E'BB 

gegBOBBBBBBC " 

B505 LET A" liit LET b"0 

8507 FOR -f"! TO 29 STEP 2* PRINT 

INK 2 | AT #,bj**< TO 30-f>|**<3 

i)i LET *~*-U LET b-b+li NEXT # 

8510 PRINT AT 8, l2i"PYRAriID"t AT 

12»7i"b¥ D^vid Bradley" 

95 15 PAUSE 125 

85 16 BORDER Os PAPER Oi INK 7i C 

LS 

B518 FDR ^"0 TO 31s PRINT INK 2 

:AT O f *|^Bj;iAT 2l,*|UL:i NEXT * 

851? FOR f=l TO 20t PRINT INK 2 

I AT f,Os^BJ" | AT f t 3l|^'« NEXT f 

B520 PRINT INK 7{AT l,10i"]M5Tft 

JCTIONS"! OVER 1 1 AT 1 , 10| " 

8525~TnK 6 

6S30 PRINT AT 3,ir'¥0U MUST PAIN 

T ALL THE BLOCKS" J AT 4,1s "DF THE 

PVPAMID TQ PROGRESS 1 " j AT 5, 1 ."TO 

THE NEXT SCREEN" 
8510 PRINT AT 7,1] "WATCH OUT FOR 

THE BALLS *< THE". AT 8,1 ("SNAKE 
WHICH WILL KILL YOU" 
8550 PRINT AT 10,1 ("EACH LIFT CA 
N ONLY BE USED" 1 AT 11,1 ("ONCE" 
8555 INK 4 
B360 PRINT AT I3 b , 13 5 "Q <4*mp) P" i A 
T 14, 14) "\<2#»p»/"[AT 13 f 15i H, W" 
[AT 16,15("/V|AT 17, 14s 'V<2**p> 
\" | AT 18, l3| ,h Z<4#*p} SPACE" 
8S70 PRINT INK 3|AT 20,i| "PRESS 

ANY KEY TO PLAY THE GAHE" 

eseo pause o 

B590 IFTNKEY*-"" THEN BO TO B5 

95 

S595 CLS 

9*500 



: INK 7% GO TO 6 
IF icore>hi THEN LET hi-»c 



/ 



7 



V, 

4 



LET fc.=b+4s LET g = ls LET v-li LET 
*-15i LET d-3t SO TO 1030 

8O0O FOR f-=l TO 8 

QO04 PRINT AT a ,bs " <2*»p> " j AT *+■ 

1 , b t " ( 2*»p ) " , AT *+2 , b 5 " C 2*»p > " ; 

L I- f a=a-2e LET b=b-l 

QOOS BEEP . 01,30+fi PRINT AT * , b 

[ " <2#sp> "jAT a+i ,b, "<2**p) "[ INK 
3) BRIGHT ljAT a+2 , b |" !2**p) " 

SO 10 PRINT PAPER BjAT V,W(*(2»» 

p>"|AT v+1 ,«i IH <2*sp>" 

9030 NEXT f 

8050 PRINT AT a, b ; " <2*ap > "i AT a+ 

1 ,b; "Z*ap)"i AT a+2,b) " <2#sp) " s L 

ET b-b-4; LET q=Os LET v-li LET 



ore 

8910 PRINT INK 6 (AT 11 t l| "PRESS 

ANY KEY TO PLAY THE GAME" 
8920 IF INKEY*= 1 '" THEN QO TO 89 
20 

8930 LET liv«m-3i LET icore-O: L 
ET acreen=l 
8950 CLS s RETURN 

9000 DATA 1,2,4,3,16,32,64,128,1 
28 , 64 , 32 , 1 6 , B , 4 , 2 , 1 , 1 28 , 1 2B , 1 2B , 
128, 128, 128,1 2B, 128, 1 , 1 ,1 ,1,1 , 1 , 
1,1 

9O40 DATA 129,65,33,17,9,5,3,1,1 
29, 130,132,136, 144, 160, 192,128,1 
28 , 1 92 , 1 60 , 1 44 , 1 36 , 1 32 , 1 30 , 1 29 , 1 
, 3 , S , 9 , 1 .7 , 33 , 65 , 1 29 
910O DATA 0,1,3,3,3,1,3,3,0,128, 
64,224,192, 128,192,64,3,3,1,1,1, 
1 ,1,1,64,64,128,128,129,120,129, 
192 

9140 DATA 0,1,2,7,3,1,3,2,0,129, 
192, I 92, 192, 129, 192, 192, 2, 2,1 , I, 
1 , 1 , 1 , 3 , 1 92 , 1 92 , 1 28 , 1 28 , 1 28 , 1 2B , 
128,129 

9180 DATA 0,0,0,0,3,7,15,15,0,0, 
0,0,192,224,240,240,15,15,7,3,0, 
O , , O i 240 , 240 , 224 , 1 92 , O , , O , O 
9220 DATA 0,3,5, 15,7, 0,O,O,0 , l 2B 
, 192,224,176,49,96, 192, 1 , 3,6, 12, 
12,6,3,1,152,36,34,6,12,24,176,2 
24 

9260 DATA 255,254,252,248,240,22 
4, 192, 128,255, 127 ,63 , 31 , 15, 7 , 3, 1 
,129, 192,224,240,248,252,254,255 
. 1 ,3,7, 15,31 ,63, 127,255 
94O0 DATA 9,9,9,7,7,7,6,6,6,4,4, 
4,6,6,6,7,7,9,11 

95O0 DATA 1,3,7,0,31,63,127,0,24 
7,247,247,0,127,127,127,0,192,22 
4,240,0,124,126, 127,0 



■ 



Listing 1 



1 REM 

10 FOR X= 16514 TO 16560 
20 INPUT CODE 
30 POKE X^CQDE 
40 PRINT X,CODE 
50 NEXT X 



Listing 2 



42 


12 


64 


229 


209 


1 


24 


3 


26 


190 


40 


3 


238 


128 


18 


19 


11 


62 





176 


177 


32 


241 


201 


42 


1 2 


64 


35 


229 


209 


35 


62 


24 


1 


31 


O 


237 


176 


35 


35 


19 


19 


61 


32 


244 


201 







159 FOR T=i TO yfi 




leO LET R=INT (RND*7S 


J +1 


161 IP INKEY$= = , 7" THEN LET SHIP 


=5HIP-1 




162 IF INKEY*a"S" THEN LET SHIP 


=SHIP+1 




165 LET 5Cu=5CQ+20 




170 IF R<21*RND Cfl>4 


THEN LET C 


P=CR-1 * 




175 IF R<41 AND R >28 


RND CR<17 


THEN LET CR=CR+1 




150 IF R>40 AND R<45 


RN[> CR>4 T 


HEN LET CR=Ch-£ 




155 IF R>45 HND R<Si 


RND Cfl<17 


THEN LET Cfl=C*+2 




190 PRINT RT OR. 3©-' 


ii 


203 PRINT RT OR+1,30; 


■i M 


210 PRINT RT GR+E30; 


4 1- ii 1 


215 IF INT iRND*5) =0 


THEN PRINT 


RT INT [ wND * 3 ' + C R . 3 


"0" 



Listing 3 



- t. ! rr tl ? -i U 

20 LET 5CO=0 

^0 CL5 

93 POKE 15418,0 

100 LET X=USR 16514 

IIS LET 5HIP-11 . 

120 PRINT RT 10 .0 ; " 



130 PRINT H^ 11,0; " 

II 

140 PRINT RT 12,0; " 

4 f 

15S LE~" CR = 10 

151 PRINT RT 11 ,0: =, ^.I __I LIKE T 
HE INSTRUCTIONS (Y/N) " 

152 IF INKEV$="V" THEN GOSUB 30 



CAVE OF DOOM for the 16K ZX-81 has much in 
common with the arcade favourite Skramble, You 
must pilot your spaceship through a cavern, dodg- 
ing I he enemy mines, until you reach your own city, It 
was written by Stephen Owen of Hatfield, Hertfordshire 
and uses a machine code routine to speed the action. 

You must first enter listing one, making sure there are 
46 characters in the REM statement, RUN the program 
and INPUT the values in listing two, one a; a lime, 
reading from left to right. It would be wise to save the 
program at that stage in case of enor. 

Then delete lines 10 to 50 from the program leaving 
you with the REM statement, which should then contain 
a jumble of characters and control words. Enter listing 
three, of which the REM statement will form the first 
line, and RUN in the usual way to play the game. 






153 IF INKEV$ = -'N" THEN GOTO 155 

154 GOTO 151 

155 PRINT RT 11,©; ' 

.ET UR = INT tRND#1500) +700 




\ 



SINCLAIR USER September 1984 




— ft *.■ 


-_ =.-u5R 16538 


230 


PRINT RT SHIP , ; 


£40 


LET Q=P£EK (PEEK 15393+ 


PEEK 


15393! 


i5£ 


IF 0{>Q THEN GOTO 2000 


268 


PRINT ST SHIP . 0; " > " 


270 


NEXT T 


z. "r 


CLS 


£79 


FOP G=i TO 3 


290 


FOR F=l TO 22 


id£ 


PklN 1 Hi h = 11 ; iH=4«df-19E-i 


IsE 


LET X=USR 15514 




NEXT F 


305 


CLS 




NEXT G 


320 


LET SCO =500+2000 


340 


iiOTO 2150 


^l^C 


PRINT hT SHIP-1 .0; "%" 


2010 


PRINT PT SHIP .0; l, SK" 


2020 


PRINT PT SHIP+1,0;"1" 


E04a 


FOR F=0 TO 6 


3050 


LET X=USR 15514 




NEXT F 


B060 


r>INT P,T SHIP-1, 0; 'W 
PRINT PT SHIP + 1,0: '**" 


~^"C 


2330 


FOR F=0 TO 6 


2030 


LET X=U5R 16514 


2091 


-;EXT F 


21S0 


PRINT PT SHIP-1. 0; " " 


2110 


PRINT PT SHIP = 


2120 


PRINT PT SHIP+1:0;" " 


2130 


FOP F=0 TO 11 



:j0OO PRINT RT 11,0" 

1 
3001 LET P$=" ■ 

. ^„__ INTERCEPTED E'v R 

d fl ??,^^ ri ■HTTP.CK.VOU SEE^. COUE 
8.,I N -5.2 LD C *- E WHICH LERD5 TO Y 

k 5nR fl S5iIS E ?l IS N0 BURNING BflC 
K NOW, THERE IS ONLY ONE URY n<jT 

i -^^-; Thte CPUE HPS BEEN MINED 
ITH THEP& OR TH E SIDES HF THE Cfl 

GOOD LUCK t ,.,YOU,LL NEED IT, 
* •■ 

3010 LET L=l 
3020 IF fl* (I_ + 30i ="~" THEN RETURN 

3030 PRINT PT ll>0;fl$CL TO L+30] 

304-0 LET L=i_+1 *-twu. 

^041 Pup F=l TO 1 

^042 NEXT F 

3050 GOTO 302O 

6090 SRUE "CRU] 

7000 LET fi$.= - 

HEN CUEN PRESENTS 



CRUE OF DOG 



7010 LET L=l 

7020 IF p$ LL+Sii =■* ' THEN GOTO 7 

X00 

7025 IF fl*CL. + BS="H" THEN PPUSE 2 

00 

7030 PRINT RT 10.0:h$<L TO L+30] 

7St>© LET L=L+1 
7:770 GOTO 7020 
7080 RUN 



/I 






# 






SFNCUIR USER September 1384 



YOU ARE the captain of the 
spaceship Liberator and it is 
your mission to steal the ice 
diamonds from the evil Federation. The 
game runs on the 48K Spectrum and 
was written by Jason Glover of Beacons- 
field, Buckinghamshire, Glover clearly 
is a great science fiction enthusiast, and 
his game requires quick reactions and 
an eye on the whole screen. There are 
five planetary systems to explore and 
action on the ground, as well as in 
space. 

The game uses special graphics charac- 
ters. Please read the first page oj Prog mm 
printout before typing in the listing, where 
W« vuli find the necessary instructions. 



i i 



GO SUB 

no sub 

BORDER 



<?ioo 

0: RARER i.i: 



:t:i /: C 



LS 



12 print " Initial i nng. . hang o 
n a sec . " 

15 GO SUB 9600 

16 BEER .1,;;0: CLS I LET a*-"" 
o you require instruct! tans'?" i GD 

sub saoo 

17 IF INKEY*-"y' 



18 






IF TNKEY*' 
17 



"n" 



THEM GO TO 2 
THEM BO TO 2 



19 GO TC* 

25 CLS 

30 INVERSE I: LET a*=" <B*sp ) BL 
flKE'S SEVEIMUC**Bp)"J GD SUB BBOO 

: INVERSF " 

31 PRINT ' 

3S GO SUB BBtXH PR I N t 

4u LET a •*=■■' You Are Slake crun 
inq the five sector* of the corr 
upt and evil Federation in the a 
dvanced «p ac nh 1 p Liberator . ( IB* 
aplYour t*»k it to overthrow the 
(3#*p> Federation by raiding each 
of<3**p)th» planetary systems, t 



rswllingat high speed between t 
hem "' : BO SUB SB'."' 

52 PRINT "i LET al=" (9*sp 1 PR 
ESR A KEY "s GO SUB SHOO 

S4 PAUSE Ol Cl.S 

56 LET *»*"AB"j SO SUB Bis 

SB LET ■»- "CT . ..Thi« II the Li 
berator"! GO SUB SBOO 

60 PRINT "i LET at="EF. . .A Fe 
deration Pursuit Ship"; SO SUB B 
BOO 

62 PR TNT * LET a *=■;£.,. A Spa 

c:e Mine"! Qq RUB SB' 

64 PRINT - : LET at="j_l_ , ! i30 fi 
LIB BBOO 

6fa LET a.*-"KK. . .Real Tine Port 
for fast"! 60 SUB BBOO 

6B LEI a*="e«it from planetary 
system. ■' : GO Silt? BBOO 

69 PRINT : LET **»"| Thi. is 

yoUjRoj Blake TT SO SUB SB 

OOl PRINT i LET •#»"fi...TMe is 
a surface mine": GO SOS BBOO] PR 
INT ; LET •*■ "_R. . . Th i * i« an Ice 
Diamond"! GO SUB BBOO 

70 PRINT '% LET a*= " (B#*p ) t Hi 
SS A KEVl GO SUB SB' "i 

72 PAUSE Oi CLS 

74 LET a*="Cpntrol Key*)* J GO 
SUP BBOO 

76 PRINT i LET a*=" 
at or up" i 00 Sub sago 

7B LEI a*=" A, 
n" : GO SUB BBOO 

BO LET a*=" P. 
hf: GD SUB BBOO 

B2 F'RINT I LL I 
plasma bolt": BO SUB SB 

B4 PRINT i LET a*-" SPACE. 



L i ber 



Liberator 



Li ber a tor 




,Man right"j S 



eft": 60 SUB BSuO 

94 LET a*-" L. . 

o sub seoo 

^B PRINT i LET a*=" 'B«5p>PRE5 
9 A KEY "i GO SUB SBOO 
•0 PAUSE 
lIO CLS : LET a*="'U|hen -A pianos 
titinnary orbit hasbeen dttAined 
, you may telepprt to the planet 
ary surface and trytn take any F 
ederatlDn Ice Di an-ondB ; avoi dlPQ 
tel Sporting onto a surface mirt 
elor fly across theSector and *n 
ter the Real Time Exit Port to 
fly at False Time to another S» 
ctor, "i Q0 SUB UBiXh 

120 LET a*="Federat i on Pursuit 
ShiQs mi 1 1 <^»sp? periodical 1 y 1 etc 
ate you and <5*sp ) attack ., you iTiub 
t use your FlasmaBolts to destro 
them. ': GO SUB BB00 
123 LET als-'when in combat with 
Pursui t *5**p> Shi ps, Zen will not 
all oh youC4»sp>tQ teleport sine 
• you are r§qui-red to d»fend Li 
ber-stor." : GO SUB BSO0 

130 PRINT 'J LET a*=" <S**p)FR 

ESS A KEY": 60 SUB 8B0O 
? PAUSE O 
135 CLS 

150 LET a*-" If Liberator hits a 

Space Nine or 19 shot tiy a Fed 

er at i on !6*»p > Pursui t Ship 1 unit 

of damage ( 3*-sp i ¥*1 1 1 occur, ..Lib* 

rater can accepts units before a 

nni Iri lation. <4*spMf you step or 

teleport on a f 4*sp) *urf ace mi ne 

a life is lost , <4-*»p i Your enerq 

y JS depleted whenever you fire □ 

r teleport, 1 ': GO SUB S800 

155 LET »l*"Space nines may be 
neutralised by shooting them.Fe 
deration f5**p) Shi ps Mil] also ne 
titraliit them to avoid biting deE 
troyed, (7*»p> Remember that you h 
ave no CQntr --ol over the Liber at 
or while you *re on the Rase F'l a 
net surf act, , so be prepared to t 
*l*pcrt bark if a Federation Shi 
p jpp*ars, " 
157 GO SUB 8BO0 

160 LET a*™"'!* yoLi manage to co 
Ilect lO Ice Diamonds yevu will hi 
ave succeeded in your Mi 55 ion.. GO 
OP LUCK!" j GD SUB 6Si."' 

16H INVERSE 1> LET ***=» (4» B p>PR 
ESS fl h£V TO START (6»-spl " : GO SU 
B SSOOl INVERSE 
169 PAUSE O: CLS 
210 GO SUB 9BO0 
50O REM Screen border* 
505 CLS 
310 EM 1 

520 FOR n=2 TD 5; PLOT H,2l DRA 
W 0,17l! NEXT n 



PLOT n,2t 



PLOT 2,ni 



PLOT 2,nt P 
PLDT 2,ni D 



550 FOR n=250 TO 253: 

PROW 0,171l NEXT n 

540 FOR n«170 TO 173: 

DRAW 35] ,Ol NEXT n 

550 FOR n -2 TO 5* PLOT 2,n: DRA 
U 251 ,Ol NEXT n 

560 FOR n-2B TO 31: 
RAW 251 ,0i NEXT n 

570 FOR n-64 TO £.7: 
RAW 291, Oi NEXT n 

5BO INK 7 

590 LET fflov«0 

600 BO SUB B500t RErt system 

620 LET r*=pt(5yi> 

630 SO SUB 34 OO 

640 GO SUB 9300 

700 GO SUB 7400+<sys+100 3 i REM 
gen. sys, from 7500 
190O REM initial* 

: LEI l>:=6l LET 
LET + x=50 
TF <Dov=l THEN 
LET dam=0: LET 



1310: 
1520 
1 529 
1930 
1540 
1550 
1560 
I "=. 7" i ► 

1 COO 



GO SUP 5120s GD SUB 5000 
2060 IF INKEYf="a' h THEN SO SUB 
5200i GO SUB 50O0l LET 1 >:«!* + ]: 
GO SUB 5220: L-.U SUB 5000 
3070 IF INKEY*= , 'p" THEN GO SUB 
5300 1 00 SUB 500Oi LET l y*i y+j t 
GD SUB 5320s 30 SUB 5000 
20GO IF INKEY*="o" THEN GO SUB 
54O0 

20S3 IF IN> tvM= u" THEN IF In' 
AND 

24<?i:i 

24S>5 

2499 

Z9O0 

2505 

2510 

2515 ] ly>27 

N GO 



IF IMKEY#» b O* THEN IF 
iyZ? THEN BO TO 7350 
IF 1-1 THEN GO TO 2030 
GD TO 2010 
REM federation ship 
LET fx = l+INT <RND*12) 
LET fy=29 
□O SUB fclOO 

IF fK=lK THEN IF ly>27 
SUB 6000 



ly=l 

GO TO 

1 l v = S 



i e* m i 



LET 
LET 
LET 

LET 



i d=0 
dia^O 
en =-99 

dp=0 



2517 IF +m=1k+1 THEN 
HEN QO SUB 6000 
7520 GO SUB 6 £00 
2525 LET fr=i+INT 

2530 IF fr=l THEN 
LET fx-fK-1 



IF ly;27 



<RND#2> 
IF fK>lx 



1HEN 



GO SUB 6430i PRINT AT 20,1s 
INVERSE 1; INK 2; "DAMAGE" 

t610 PRINT AT 20,9! INVERSE 1; I 

NK S# "LIVES" 

16.20 GO SUB 6520 

1630 PRINT AT 20,14; INVERSE li 

INK it; "DIAMONDS" 

1635 GO SUB 6620 

1640 PRINT AT 20,23: INVERSE 1| 

INK 3; -ENERGY ' 

1690 GO SUB 6675 

ISOO PRINT AT l t 29j INK 3l ,, KK"{A 
T 2,29; TW 3t " LH ' 

1950 PRINT AT 1 * , 1 y s ■' AB" t AT U+l 

, 1 y 1 ■' GD " 

2OO0 REN liberator 

2010 LET I=1+INT fRND*50) J IF 1= 

1 THEN BO SUB 2500 i GO TO 2050 
2020 IF INKEY*-" " THEN GO TO 3 
OOO 

2O30 IF 
2O50 I F 



IF f«fl*s THEN 



! RND+5 1 
90 SUB 6200 
GO SUB 610OI 



2540 IF fr*l THEN 

LET fx**fx + l 
2550 LET fy=fy-l 
2600 GO SUB 61O0 
2610 LET ff-i+INT 
262C TF ff^l THEN 
29O0 TF fy»i THEN 
LET 1=0: RETURN 

2999 RETURN 

3000 REM teleport/'iurfice att. 
3010 GO SUB 4900 

3020 PRINT AT I6,tp| INK 0; PARE 

ft 5j ^l; 1 

r i-anttnved on page 80 







C&Kimttdfrom page 79 

50O0 LET l=l+INT <RNP*50)s IF 1- 
1 THEN GO SUB 2500 1 GO TO 3080 
306O IF 1NK..EY*-" " THEN GO SUB 
4905i PRINT AT 16, tp; PAPER 5t " 

■ % en to 2050 

3070 IF 1=1 THEN GO SUB 2S20 

5O00 if lN^Ey*»■ , ^■.'■ then go sup 

4700 

50*70 IF 1NKEY*= 

4760 

3190 

9300 

4700 

47 10 IF ATTR < 1 6, tp-1 > "43 THEN 

PRJWT AT It, to I PAPER 5( " "t LET 



THEN GD SUB 



SO TO 3O60 



IF 1-1 THEN 
GO TO 3050 
REM man left 
IF ATTR ( 16,tp-l> a 43 
AT l6,tpt PAPER 5(" 



tp=tp-l: HO TO 4BOO 
4712 IF ATTR t 1 6 , tp-1 t "46 THEN 
LET dp-1 

4715 PRINT AT 16 f tp) PAPER 5s" " 
4720 LET tp-tp-1 

9730 IF tp/2-INT Jtp/2) THEN PR 
INT AT 16,tpi PAPER 3, INK Mt'^L" 
4740 IF tp/2< INT Ctp/2> THEN P 
RINT AT 16,tpt PAPER 5| INK Of "£, 

4745 IF dp=l THEN GO SUB 6600 

4750 RETURN 

4759 REM m*n right 

4.' t ..i IF ATTR <16,tp+-J>=43 THEN 

PRINT AT I6,tp; PAPER S| " "i LET 

tp"tp+tt GO TO 4800 
474.3 IF ATTR ( 16, tp*1 > =46 THEN 
LET dp=l 

4765 PRINT AT 16,tpi PAPER 5j " " 
4770 LET tp-tp+l 

4775 IF tp/2-INT <tp/2> THEN PR 
INT AT li.tp) PAPER 5; IN!-' Pi "L" 



4 7 BO If tp/2- 'INT itp/Zt THEN I 
RINT AT 16,tp| PAPER 5; INK 0| "Jl. 

M 

4785 IF dp=l THEN GO SUB 66OO 

4705 RETURN 

4B00 REM man dead 

4805 FOR rv = 4 TO i STEP -I 

4810 PRINT AT 16,tpj PAPER 5 1 "if 

1 BEEP ,l,n 

4820 PRINT AT I6,tpj PAPER S; M » 

: BEEP . l,n-10 

4S30 PRINT AT 16,tpj PAPER S>| »J_" 

: BEEP . l,n-20 

4S35 NEXT (1 

4940 PRINT AT 16,tpj PAPER 5| " " 

4843 00 SUB tf370 

4845 GO SUB 65 

4850 SO ID 2050 

48*79 REM telfrp* 

4900 LET tp-l+INT (RND»30> 

4903 IF ATTR U6,tp>=43 THEN GO 
TD 4000 

4904 IF ATTR M6,tpt=46 THEN GO 
SUP 6600 

4903 FOR K-l TO 2 

4910 FOR n-1 TO 7 

4920 PRINT AT 16, tp; PAPER 5* IN 

K n»«£" 

4930 PEEP .005, ft t SEEP .0O5 t n+l 

4940 NEXT n 

4950 NEXT K 

4960 GO SUB 6660 

4 C »9S RETURN 

4999 REM print liberator 

5000 PRINT AT Ik, 1/1 OVER 1; "AB" 
j AT I « + 1 , 1 y l " CD " 
SO 10 RETURN 

5099 REM Checks space mine 

51 00 IF ATTR <lx-l,ly)=4 THEN 8 
O TD 6 000 
5110 IF ATTR <l«-l,ly+l>-4 THEN 

ED TO 6000 
5115 RETURN 

5120 IF lx-0 THEN LET lx-1 
5195 RETURN 

5200 IF ATTR (!x+2,ly>-4 THEN G 
D TO 6000 



<lH,ly+2>=4 THEN 
(lx+1, iy+2)=4 THEN 

LET ly-ly-1 

RETURN 



5210 IF ATTR ( lx+2 , 1 y+1 > -4 THEN 

00 TO 6OO0 
5215 RETURN 

5220 IF Ik =12 THEN LET 1«=11 
5295 RETURN 
5 3 OO IF ATTR 
O TO 6000 
5310 IF ATTR 

GO TO 6000 
53 IS RETURN 
5320 IF ly-30 THEN 
5395 RETURN 

5399 REM -fjre! 

5400 IF ly>25 THEN 
5405 FOR n=J TO 2 

54 IO PLOT OVER 1 I 1 6+ U y*Bt , S 6B- 

ClK«S>t DRAW OVER 1 1 31,0 
54^0 NEXT n 

5425 BEEP .01,-10) BEEP .01,-20 
5430 IF fn-1* THEN IF fy-ly>-l 
AND >fy-ly<-5 THEN GG SUB 6300 
5440 00 SUB 6660 
5500 RETURN 
6000 REM lib explode 
6005 PRINT AT l*,ly: OVER 1 1 "AB" 

iAT lx+l,lyi OVER 1; 
6007 FOR t-l TO 2 
6..' 10 FOR n-1 TQ 2 

6020 PRINT AT l«,lyi 

GHT ll "HH"|AT lfc+l,ly| 

RIGHT 1 l " HH " 

6022 BEEP .05,-50 

6025 NEXT n 

6VZ7 FOR n=l TO 2 

6030 PRINT AT lH,lyt OVER Is BR I 

GHT 1 ; " I I " I AT lu + l.ly) OVER 1; B 

RIGHT 1; " 1 I " 

6032 BEEP .05,-30 

6035 NEXT n 

6037 FOR n=l T0*2 

6O40 PRINT AT ix,lyi OVER 1| BR I 

GHT 1 ; "JJ_" l AT 1 H : + I , 1 y I OVER 1 I B 

RIGHT 1 ! "J J" 

6045 SEEP .05,-60 

6050 NEXT n 

6052 NEXT t 

60S5 FOR r,= l 

yj OVER 1 1 '■ 

i OVER 1 ; " 

6057 NEXT n 

GO SUB 6400 

LET l«-5l LET ly-1 

6075 GO SUB 5000 

6095 RETURN 

6099 REM print fed ship 



'CD- 



OVER 1| BRI 
OVER ll & 



TO 2 1 PRINT AT 1m 
"1 PRINT AT 1k + 1 ,; 



REN tliuri bright 



6O6U 
6070 




6100 PRINT AT *K,-fyj OVER 1; "EF" 

fa 110 RETURN 

6200 REM federation fire 

6207 IF fy<5 THEN RETURN 

6205 FOR n-1 TO 2 

6210 PLOT OYER 1 ; f y*G-l , 172-f :* 

8i DRAW OVER tj-31 ,0 

6220 NEXT n 

6223 BEEP .01, Ot BEEP .01,-10 

6530 IF f.:=l»: THEN IF -fy~ly>=l 

AND fy-ly<-5 THEN GO SUB 6000 

6240 IF fn = lx + i THEN TF fy-ly- = 

1 AMD fy-ly<«5 THEN SO SUB 6000 

A 250 RETURN 

6300 REM hit fed 

6309 PRINT AT f«,fy[ OVER 1 1 "EF" 
fiJOS FOR n=l TO 2 

' PRINT AT fK,fy( 
VER 1 J "HH " : BEEP >04,-45: 
6J0"? FDR n=l TO 2 

6310 PRINT AT f*,fy( BRIGHT 1: O 
VER ll-JX"' BEEP • 04,-50i NEXT n 
6315 FDR n=l TD 2 

6320 PRINT AT f a ,+yi BRIGHT 1} O 
VER 1 1 " Jil" I BEEP .04,-55: NE*T n 
6325 FDR n=l TO 2l PRINT AT fx.-f 



BRIGHT 1] O 
NEXT n 



6410 

,'.4 ?'~< 

M30 

6440 

■ 

6430 

6.500 

6510 

6520 

i v 

6530 

6550 

'„'..M-. 

fr,h 1 O 

6615 
6617 
6620 
i a 
6625 

6627 

6.fc50 
6£i60 
it 70 

6675 

fa 480 

n 

4690 

6700 

7350 

7355 

D SUB 

7360 

7370 

737H 

BEEP 

kt n 
7380 
7400 

74 10 
7420 

7430 
7440 
7450 

74SS 
/44'. 



LET d*m»d*m+] 

IF dam=A THEN 
REM ;* report 

PRINT AT 20,7, 

RETURN 

REM lives 

t FT Hv=Hv-l 

PRINT AT 20,13j 



GO TQ <?<?00 



INVERSE l|da 



J NVERSE 1 ; 1 



IF liv-0 THEN SO TO 9900 

RETURN 

REM di amends 

LET dia=dis+l 

LET dp=0 

IF dia=ld THEN GO TO 9960 

PRINT AT 20 ,22 | INVERSE l;d 

BEEP .1,01 BEEP .1,20 

IF diav>0 THEN 00 SUB S3SO 

RETURN 

REM «n»rgy 

LET »n"efi-l 

PRINT AT 20,29»"i9S*JL* 

PRINT AT 20,29| INVERSE 1 ; e 



7445 LET ■my4+INT (RND*24 1 

7470 PRINT AT Mn,sny: I Nl> 4| ■ - GJ' 

7475 NEXT n 

7 4 BO RETURN 

7500 REM planEtt (stars) 

7503 REM system 1 

7510 GO SUB S20C 

7512 GO SUB 0360 

7515 FDR n=0 TO 25 

7520 CIRCLE. lOO,100„n/2 

7530 NEJT n 

7535 GO SUB 7450i GO BUB S460 

75 40 GG SUB B395 

7545 GD 3UB S390 

75*?5 RETURN 

76O0 REM system? 

7402 GD SUB S200 

7604 GG SUB 0340 

7605 FDR n=0 TO 25 
7610 CIRCLE 50,100,n/2 
7630 NEXT rv 

7635 60 SUB 743<>i GD SUB S460 

continue d an page S2 




cttitiimted from page SI 
7640 Ed SUB 9395 

QO SUB 9390 

RETURN 

REM 5ystem3 

GO SUB 9200 

GO SUB 9360 

FOR n=0 TO 23 

CIRCLE 150,i00,n/2 



7645 
7695 
7700 
7703 
7704 
7705 
77lO 
7715 
7720 
7725 
7 73'1 
7735 
7795 
7 BOO 
7805 
7R10 
78 IS 
78 20 
7B25 

7830 

7B35 
7840 

7945 
7995 
7900 

7905 
79Q7 
7910 

7915 
7927 
7930 



CIRCLE 90,90,0/4 
NEXT n 
GO SUB 7450i 
GO SUB 9395 
GO SUB 9390 
RETURN 
REM 5 y Stem 4 
GO SUB 6200 
GD SUB B340 
FOR n-0 TO 25 
CIRCLE lOO,100,n/2 
50, l30,,n/4 



GO SUB B44i-i 



GO SUB B460 



CIRCLE 

NEXT n 

GO SUB 74S0l 

GO SUB 8395 

GO BUB S390 

RETURN 

REM systems 

GO SUB 9200 

GO SUB 9360 

FOR n-0 TO 25 

CIRCLE 120, HO, ft/2 

NEXT n 

BD SUB 7450 1 GO SUB B46'.' 

GO BUB S3 95 

GO BUB S390 

RETURN 

REM star* 

FOR n-1 TO 50 

PLOT 10+INT £RND*230) ,SO+IN 
T (RND«S5> 
B23Q NEXT n 



10 

8620 
S630 
610 

8*4 O 

610 

8650 

B795 

B8O0 

BBIO 

9920 

9940 

9950 

8900 

8910 

B990 

9100 

9110 

9120 

9130 

9140 

9150 

9160 

91 TO 

P .5 

91 75 



LET k*=!NhEY* 
IF CODE k#<49 



THEN 6D TO fl 



IF CODE k*>53 THEN BO TD B 

LET sys^VAL INKEY* 

RETURN 

REM lnstr. print out 

FOR n-1 TO LEN a* 

PRINT **<n> i 

NEXT n 

PRINT 

REM initial system VW. 

LET sys-l 

RETURN 

REM tune 

GO SUB 9185 

BEEP .2,1"? J BEEP 

BO SUB 9195 

BEEP . 2,19t BEEP 

GO SUB 9195 

BEEP . 2,19s BEEP 

BEEP .5,22t BEEP 

20: BEEP . 2,19l 

FOR n*14 TO 2Bi 



.5,19 
.5,14 

-5, 19 

.5,20) BEE 
.5, 14 
. 05,rn 



PFEP 
BFFP 



NEXT n 
9 1 SO BEEP . 1 , 30 
9193 RETURN 

9185 BEEF ,5,14: BEEP .5,1 St BEE 
P .5,171 BEEP .5,20 
9190 RETURN 

REM display 

FDR n=0 TO 21 

LET i=2+lNT <RND*6> 

PRINT AT n,0) INVERSE If IN 
■ f9»ap) BLAKE 'S SEVEN < 10#»p> '" 

BORDER 1 

NEXT n 

RETURN 

REM u>d.g» 

FDR z-144 TO 161 

FOR n~0 TO 7i READ kl POKE 



IIRR CHR4 X Ml, I : Nl XI n 

96 '■' i Nl K T £ 

9640 DOtA 0,63,62.24,24,174,255, 

255 ,0 , 224 , 0,0 , O.O, 224 , 25! ■ , 1 2 / , 30 

,?0,51 ,115,252,255,0,224,0,0, 128 I 

,249,0, 192,6 

965CI DATA ' > , i > , / , I 2 / . 7 , O , 0,1 , 30 , 1 

4,255,255,259, 14,20,254 

96 AO DATA 129,90,60,36,36,60,90, 

129 

96SO DATA 15?, 90 , 60,43 , 252 , 60 ,90 

, 153,0,73,42,28, 124,52 1 92 , , , , 

36,24,24,36,0," 

9690 DATA 56 , 36 , 255 , 36 , 36 , 235 , 36 

9695 DATA 24, 24, 48, BB, iO, 24,26,3 
4 , 24 , 24 , 20 , 60 ,80, 14,40,72 , 24 , 24 , 
1 2 , 26 , 40 , 24 , 40 , 68 , 24 , 2 4 , 4 , 60 , 10 
, 8 , 20 , 1 8 

9700 DATA 61.1,34,72,164,226,36,34 
,65 

9705 DATA 0,0,0,0,24,24,60,126 
9710 DATA 0,0,0,16,56,116,56,16 
9790 RETURN 
9900 DIM p*(5,29> 
9910 FOR K-l TO 5 
9920 READ p*<x> 
9930 NEXT N 
9950 DATA " SYSTEM 
ARISTO", "SYSTEM 2 
ERSAT" , "SYSTEM 
TH" 

9860 DATA "SYSTEM 4 BASE PLANET 
CEPHLON", "SYSTEM 5 BABE PLANET C 
FNTERO" 
9B90 RETURN 
9900 RE PI loir 

99 lO FOR n-20 TO -20 STEP 1 
9915 BEEP .01,Vil BEEP .02,(1-3 
9920 NEXT n 

9930 PRINT AT 10,llj FLASH 1 ; 'GA | 
ME OVER" 

9940 PRINT AT ll,3j"YOU FAILED I 
N YOUR MISSION" 
9950 GO TO 9990 
9960 REM win 
,,.9970 FDR n=l TO 8 
5m997S BEEP .03, m BEEP . 02,n+li B 

EEP .02,n+2 

9977 NEXT n 

99S0 PRINT AT 10,3; FLASH 1 | "YOU 
NAVE SUCCEEDED IN YOUR" 

99B1 PRINT AT 11,7[ FLASH lf*tttfl 

S I ON , , WELL DONE " 

9985 GO SUB 9100 

9<?9a PRINT AT 12,6| "PLAY AGAIN? 
Cy/m) " 

9995 IF INKEY»="'y" THEN RUN 

9996 IF INKEV#="n" THEN STOP 

9997 GO TO 9995 



1 BASE PLANET 
BASE PLANE T AM 
BASE PLANET EAR 




SPECTRUM'S ADVANCED KEYBOARD 




■ The LO> -PROFILE professional keyboard is the ultimate 
upgrade for your Spectrum. By replacing its existing keyboard 
with a high quality LQ PROFILE, you give this world- 
beating computer the keyboard it deserves. 

TheLO PROFILE is a full size QWERTY keyboard with 
full-travel positive-action keys for super-fast entry of programs 
and data Presented in an ultra-modern and robust enclosure, 
the LO PROFILE is elegantly styled and is inclined 
forwards for convenient operation. 



" Featuring a full size space bar with dedicated numeric and 
curser keypad the LO> > PROFILE increases the number of 
keys from 40 to 53. A combination of clearly labelled, 
sculptured and height-adjusted keys aids the advance to 
fault-free touch-typing. 

I Advanced Memory Systems have established an excellent 
reputation for product reliability and prompt delivery. This 
product has been tested to an impressive 30,000,000 
depressions per key and AMS offer a full one year guarantee. 




/ 1 1 I 

1 .. f I I I I ! I I 1 
J I I I 1 I I ! 
1 J I f J ! I ■ r, 



£49-95 



■0;>>PROFILE PROFESSIONAL 
FROM ADVANCED MEMORY SYSTEMS LIMITED. 



Fitting your Spectrum computer board into the 
LO>>PROFILE keyboard is easy. All you need is a 
screwdriver to secure the board onto the base of the 
keyboard enclosure using the mountings provided. The 
LO>: PROFILE is compatable with all Spectrum add-ons. 




If not available from one of our 200+ dealers then fill in the 
coupon and we will send you a LO>> PROFILE with our full 
no-quibble money -back guarantee. Or phone 0925 602690'' 
62907 for instant Access or Visa orders. 



Lo Profile Keyboard at £49.95 plus 



Please send No 

£2.50 p&p (VAT inclusive) 

[ enclose a chequePO for £....... or debit my credit card 

Card No 

i i i i i rr 



□ Barclaycard 

i i Access card 



Signature 
Name 



JDate 



Address 



Postcode 



To; Advanced Memory Systems Ltd.. 
Woodside Technology Centre. 
Green Lane. Appleton, Warrington WA4 5NG 



i 





Business Software 



Are you taking your 
Spectrum seriously? 




£69.95 

plus 
£2.00 p&p 



Business Software 



Business Bank Account £10,75 

I This program will enable you to enter debits 
under 17 different subheadings. Statements 
include totals of all subheadings. 



The Transform Keyboard transforms your 
Spectrum into a fully operational 
professional machine, 

« Will incorporate micro-drive interface 
and power supply 

• 60 keys including fullsize space bar 

• Large ENTER key 

• Full stop, comma, semi-colon, colon, 
single delete and edit keys 

• On/off switch with LED 

■ Easy installation - no soldering required 

• Black anodised case 

• Now with 3 colour printed key tops 

Its price of £69.95 reflects the kind of use to | 
which ft wiii be put tut it is certainly the top 
keyboard at the moment ■ 

Keyo SINCLAIR USER JUNE 1984 



NEW 



I Sales Day Book £10.75 

I For all your invoices, this program will enable 

you to prepare statements of outstanding 
■ invoices Program will also calculate VAT. 
I Purchase Day Book £10.75 

Keeps a complete record of all your purchases 

I under 17 different subheading*. This program 
also calculates VAT. 
Business Pack £25,00 

(Including all the above programs 
Stock Control £10,75 
Handles 900 lines, including details of supplier. 

■ Program has full search facilities enabling you to 
search and update all line* from one supplier. 

Invoicing £15.00 

■ This program will print out invoices, calculates 
, discounts and VAT. The program will calculate 
totals from unit prices. Up to 50 accounts with 
250 outstanding invoices, 
I Word Processing by Tasman £13,90 
T a sword Two is a powerful word processing 
program that will perform all the functions 
I available on large processors. The program will 
I give you 64 characters per line on screen 
Masterfile by Camp bel I Sy stem s £ 1 5 ,00 
I This is one of the best database programs 
! a v a i la bl e for the ZX Spect ru m , Th is progr a m h a s 
many uses in a small business 

IDIan by Campbell Systems £7.95 
Use your Spectrum to sell your products. Dian 
will display messages in up to 11 different 
typefaces Will scroll text in any direction 
64 Column Generator by Tasman £5.50 
You can use this program within your other 
programs to display 64 columns on screen 

| Payroll by Byte One £19.95 

This payroll program will handle tip to 40 
employees and will calculate NIC. PAVE, super- 
annuation and many other deductions This is a 
■ very user friendly program end extremely good 

value 
I Omnicaic by M icro Sphere £9 95 
" The best spread sheet program for the ZX 
i 48K. 99 columns x 250 rows. 



Sales/Purchase Ledger Invoicing £25,00 

This program isfor use on micro-drive only. The 

program will print an invoice using a built-in _ 

price list and posl the invoice to your customer s 

account. Will also print price lists, statements, 

labels etc 

SuperfHe £14.95 

This is a new database program I hat stores 

pages of text 64 columns * 22 rows The program 

includes word processing and full search 

facilities. 

Omnicaic 2 £14.95 

This is the long-awaited micro drive version of 

omnicaic complete with histograms and many 

other features. 

Projector 1 £13.90 

Bu&iness graphics program that will help you 

present your cashflow, sales expenditure in 

many different ways including pie line, and 

histogram charts. 

Tasprint £990 

Use this program with Tasword Two to produce 

5 different fonts on a dot matrix printer. 

Masterprint £€,95 

Enables you 10 set a print format for your 
full sue printer within mastertile Supplied 
complete with masterMe for £19-95- 

Trans Enptess £9-95 

Micro-drive utility program which will enable 
you to backup all your micro-drive cartridges, 



Now in stock 

Blank micro-drive cartridges _,1|J 

Continuous paper , l?'In 

Printer ribbons from ti.s»u 



Centronics Interface for QL 

£4995 

QL Software 

WATCH THIS SPACE 



Spectrur 



Monitors 




It is possible to connect your Spectrum to both 
Black-Green and composite Video monitors 
using high resolution monitors are particularly 
useful with programs like Tasword that use 64 
columns- We supply complete instructions on 
howto connect monitors to both Issue Two and 
IssueThreeSpectrums. These monitors can also 
be connected to your QL- 

Phillips black and green £75. 00 

KagaTaxan black and green £99-95 
Sanyo High res, for QL only 



Printers 




All the software we supply runs on full-size 
printers (unless you are using interface 1 ) you 
will require an interface lo connect your 
Spectrum to a printer, ihe interface we supply i 
u ses th e g ra p h ics ch a racte rs to set pr i nter code S | 
as in Tasword and prints a double sue screen 
dump. 

Centronics »• fl?'?S 

RS232 .....£38.00 

Dot matrix printers 

Star Gemini 10x £209 00 

Admate... * 1M -» 

Epson RX80 FT £250.00 

Epson FX80 £350.00 

Daisywhee) printers 

Smith-Corona TP I ,..,. £189 00 

Silver Reed EXP500 £294,00 

Brother HR1& , - £349.44 

Please add £5,00 delivery plus VAT to the price 
of printers and monitors All software prices 
include VAT, post and packing 



TRANSFORM LTD. (Dept.SU) 



01-658-6350 






; 



Contents 

On page 86 Mike Wright 
dips into a mixed bag of 
specialised software and 
business books. 

Below readers take com- 
panies to task. 



SINCLAIR 




September 1984 



USER 



The good, the bad and 
the utterly indifferent 



1 CONSIDER my self a seri- 
ous user and soon after I had 
my ZX-81 I bought a Memo- 
tech interface enabling me to 
produce proper invoices 
through a home-made pro- 
gram. 

I wan red more memory to 
interconnect the customer 
file and the invoking pro- 
gram. Having been assured 
by Cheetah that its 64K. 
could be amended t dis- 
covered later it was imposs- 
ible without a diagram to 
disable the S to 16K RAM 
section as it clashed with the 
Memotech. A number of let- 
ters and phonecalh later pro- 
duced a written refusal to 
supply the relevant details. 
By that time t was ready for 
the Spectrum so I decided to 
leave the matter. 

Transferring the two pro- 
grams was simple enough so 
everything plus a lot more 
now runs on the Spectrum, I 
discovered the delights of Be> 
tasoft Beta Basic which made 
the writing of my bookkeep- 
ing program easier. I was 
amazed meanwhile ro dis- 
cover the latest version 1,8 to 
be so much superior over ver- 
sion l.D which I already con- 
sidered to be a true master- 
piece. 

To hook up my printer I 
obtained a Euroelectronics 
Interface and with East Lon- 



don Robotics offering 80K 
Forth I thought this would be 
a good buy. That turned out 
to be a huge mistake. 

Having installed the chips 
they turned out not to work. 
It turned out there was an 
incorrect instruction in the 
documentation and a descrip- 
tion on how to implement the 
OUT instructions as advised 
in the sales brochure was not 
there either. In addition the 
printer interface also refused 
service. 

Since ELR did not bother 
to reply to a letter sent I tried 
the phone again and eventu- 
ally was told their unit was 
1 00 per cent compatible and I 
should take up the matter 
with Euroelectronics. They 
replied. 

Are the above points typi- 
cal for the various add-on 
suppliers? 

J H Kuiper, 

Amsterdam, 

The Netherlands, 

Taswords 
of praise 

SOME TIME back I bought 
Tasword and the Tasman 
Centronics interface for my 
Spectrum and Seikosha CP- 
2 SOX printer. 

Even though I was happy 
with all the Tasword and 



Tasman facilities I missed 
not being able to COPY 
screens. I therefore wrote to 
Tasman. Not only did they 
send me the necessary soft- 
ware but they also did not 
charge me. 



With this kind of attitude I 

can only wish them well and I 

will definitely recommend 

their products and company. 

R C Stockton, 

Johannesburg, 

S<»uih Africa. 



Small is beautiful 
in customer service 



MY INTEREST is mainly in 
business applications, and it 
is less than a year since I 
began to use a Spectrum to 
see what was possible. I had 
no prior knowledge or experi- 
ence of computing. During 
the last eight months or so, 
after buying items of software 
and hardware, I have needed 
to write or telephone for 
help, and I still get great plea- 
sure in this age when so 
many, usually big, organisa- 
tions do not care, to find so 
many small ones which do. 

Inevitably I will miss out 
some u T ho deserve inclusion 
but those which merit special 
mention for products and 
after-sales help are Campbell 
Systems — Masterfile and 
MF-Print; Tasman Software 
— Tasword Two; Kempston 
Micro Electronics — Cen- 
troic Interface; and Oxford 
Computer Publishing — Fi- 
nance Manager and Master 



Tool Kit. I am sure their 
other programs and products 
are equally good, but 1 list 
only those I have used. 

After enquiries prompted 
by articles and advertise- 
ments in your June issue 
Transform Ltd have been 
very quick to respond on sev- 
eral occasions. Alas, I am still 
waiting to hear from Saga 
Systems about its keyboard, 
and from Prism Micropro- 
ducts about its modem, 

Softek International still 
have my self-addressed 
stamped envelope sent on 
23rd March. The package 
and "manual" for the IS 
compiler sent back at the 
same time because of a bug 
was returned with the same 
'bug" without comment, 

I suppose there had to be a 

"hit list", so I am indeed 

grateful for the small men. 

L R Thwaite, 

Stockport, Cheshire. 



SINCLAIR USER September 1984 



M 




Software companies are finding new uses for the Spectrum. Mike 

Wright examines less-publicised products 

Serious software for 



A: 



GREAT DEAL of interest has 
been focused recently on the 
—^educational uses of home com- 
puters At the same time there has been 
a less well-publicised rise of interest in 
the serious uses of machines such as the 
ZX-S1 and Spectrum 



specialised use 

.. .__. „.„* v. .— -i.W motions, Tl 



also be specified 



motions. They can be incorporated later 

SE*5 Z ^dtdld mto h U nertere en, Jy unf.ou^e I found 

Periods the ime, of the periods are not the instructions poorly written md 

dlf nrt tav "g « to the user's prefer- found the main program difficu m 

enc^ The ol^s a e also numbered from load. As it reached the end of loading 

^-81 and Spectrum. Wn7 ti^ Mondt ^ 1 A possible kept getting Tape loading error, Once I 

Major companies such as Plessey lead ["J**** ^^ » P aSi for h< i it loaded and saved it again I had no 

the way using ZX-81s with . Forth ^TTmV.Twl iZ for ih. more difficulty. I then started to ex per, 
ROM to run and control manufacturing example * -W9 or i»h , k ^ wpplw d fl0 d 

hat aTl reUed^pplicattons software. sidered as the opturmm ..mefor the 

WhL Ih maiori'v have bean Word client. Appointment op..ons can he d e 

lessors, Cabases, spreadsheets 0, Leted in a sttmlar way by usmg a 

financial packages, other more specia- mstead ^ + „, due ta , 

^g^rSSE^- pJSr week can^be deferred^ The 



program and what I could, and could 
not do, was soon apparent. 

Overall, the more I used the program 
the more I grew to like it but I still 
prefer to do my planning using a diary. 

For insurance salesmen who wish to 
improve their sales pitch, Inform Soft- 
ware has produced Investment, In- 



_.•;.-.,•» fi9 here are wu ucai i|_-|.'v" ■"■»-■ — «- -- -a 

frogUs Sudan on he cassette. On week number greater than » is used, to 

££ 'the tiESTil-l * a Jt "ed, giving an alphabetic 

oneatattmeornfmmpmgtoaparttcu ^J^ rf ^ appoimlnent 

'^hTs^onTpae advises the user to periods, the optimum period and part of 
The second I I»B= «* of ^ A ^ sh 

^vtuafty ■ eaXd" e \i Tl found the possible appointments for a chen, 

S I co^d have P ™«d»ny of the can a.0 be drsp£ «, ^ ^ 

££ S. InlZtJna, whTchTTound appltmcn, times has been fed in the 
,£orly written and difficult to under- program can be set to plan t 



consists of a main menu which allows 
the user to select such options as whole 




stand. 

Up to a maximum of 126 clients can 
be included but that number shrinks if a 
client has more than one appointment 

in a week/as y° u havc to set up a 
different client code for each appoint- 
ment. Each client is denoted by a code 
consisting of two letters and a number, 
e.g, 3 HCi may stand for Heath Com- 
puting. 

The addition of new clients or tne 
deletion of old ones is simple. A + (to 
add) or - (to delete), followed by the 



appointments. In doing so, account is 
taken of client preferences and 
allowances made. 

Depending on the complexity of the 
problem, that planning could take a 
long time. If the program finds more 
than one client who can make only one 
particular period, it will defer one of 
them until the following week. That, of 
course, makes no allowance for the im- 
portance of particular clients or the 
possibility of arranging alternative 




life term and endowment assurance, 
home, health and travel insurance, pen- 
sion plans, businessrcommercial insur- 
ance and investment information. 

Selecting most of the options leads to 
a list of the types of policies which can 



SaTor' - ^delete); followed by the times. To do so would ' ««^SJ ^^A^m &" « 

dient code, is entered and that can be to the program to alter appointment j*f«* * ^ ^ .ablations are 

done from almost any position in the times. i^ivWon of a done but seem to be designed to show 

jsanttsrss: ararAggga^ ^^»^- 



SINCLAIR USER September 1984 



Sinclair Business User 



who wishes to see what possibilities 
exist for insurance or investment. As a 
selling aid for trained brokers or sales- 
men it could be useful, although the 
problem exists of updating the figures 
constantly. The version received for 



total cost of the materials is calculated. 
Provided you are familiar with the 
terms and methods of the construction 
industry, the program could save time 
and worry with your calculations. Un- 
fortunately we were sent no details of 



review was an early one and no price the cost or availability of the program 
was quoted. For readers interested in writing ap- 

One question faced by many build- plications software two books may be of 



er$, and DIY fanatics intent on building 
their own extensions, is how much it 
will cost. Building Price from J Red- 
man is a useful program which could 
provide the answer. Like Heathplanner, 
the instructions consist of a separate 
program which must be loaded and read 
before the main program is loaded, 

On loading the main program the 
plans are entered. The program leads 
the user step by step, asking for mea- 
surements for the building, starting 
with the foundation width and ending 
with the height of the first floor. 

Once the measurements are entered a 
plan of the building is drawn and the 
directions of the joists sought. They are 
also drawn on the plan, which can then 
be printed. Constructing the floor plans 
is done next, followed by a question- 
al -answer session which provides the 
program with any extra data it requires 
on tiles and the like. 

The user is then returned to the 
menu which shows that the plans have 



interest. The first is Putting Your Spec 
trum to Work by Chris Cal lender, pub- 
lished by Interface Publications at 
£4.95. At first glance it looks a big 
disappointment. It seems to consist 
solely of program listings which have 
been photocopied from the printout of a 
ZX printer, with little in the way of 
explanation as to how the program is 
constructed or works. 

Included are programs for a database, 
spreadsheet and word processor. Other 
programs include ones for drawing 
graphs, keeping accounts, stock control 
and electric circuit design. In all, there 
are 15 programs. The final program, 
Boss, shows how several of the pro- 
grams can be merged to provide a com- 
plete system. Although they have all 
been written primarily for the 48K 
Spectrum, the final chapter gives a list 
of modifications, where necessary, for 
the programs to run on the 16K ver- 
sion. 

The programs are of a very simplistic 




input the cost of the materials as they 
are prompted. The program also allows 
tsiimaies of wastage to be made for each 
material and takes that into account 
when determining the cost. At the end a 



nature but provide an insight into how 
to start writing programs for serious 
uses. The biggest problem I found with 
the book was following the listings as I 
was typing them in but those I entered 
work first time. 

The second book is Business Pro- 
gramming on your Spectrum by Peter 
Jackson and Peter Goode, published by 
Phoenix Publishing Associates at £6.95, 
It is designed for sales and marketing 
managers and that is reflected in the 



programs listed. The style is different 
from thai of Callender. It starts with a 
gentle introduction to Basic program- 
ming and the principles of program- 
ming, before starting on the first of the 
seven programs included. 

The programs are for adjusting a 
sales trend, drawing graphs, forecasting 
sales, keeping customer records, track- 
ing sales and, like the other, a program 
which packages the others. Critics 
could argue that the chapters on Bas it- 
programming and its principles are too 
short — they are in 36 pages — for a 
complete novice but they are remark- 
able for the clarity and conciseness with 
which they cover the subject. 

For each program an introduction 
provides a short description which cov- 
ers how the program works and why it 
is a suitable area for using a computer, 
A description and, in some cases, a 
flow-chart of the program is given be- 
fore the listing. Jackson's programs are 
more complex and are approximately 
twice the length of Calender's but 
length is not necessarily a measure of 
program capability. 

The overall quality of the printing 
and presentation of Business Program- 
ming is superior to Putting Your Spec- 
trum to Work and although the listings 
have been produced from a dot matrix 
printer, they are much clearer and more 
readable. I found them easier to follow 
when typing them in. 

The two books are aimed at different 
markets and as such should be consid- 
ered independently. Pulling Your Spec- 
trum to Work is an excellent book as far 
as it goes. It would have been improved 
by the use of a better quality in the 
reproduction of the listings and by in- 
cluding more description of the work- 
ings of the programs but the number 
and variety of the programs compen- 
sates for that. 

Although Business Programming is 
rimed at a smaller section of the market, 
it provides sufficient scope to make it of 
interest to a wider group of business- 
men. Both books should make a useful 
addition to the bookshelves of most 
businessmen who want to write pro- 
grams or who seek a clearer understand- 
ing of how some of their commercial 
programs work. 



Heath Computing. 7 The Meadows. 
Flack whII Heath, Bucks HPTQ 9LX. 
Inform Software, 3 Traasdale Close, 
eirkdala, SouiNport PH8 2 EL, 
Interface Publications. 91 1 Kensington 
High Street, London W8 5NP. 
Phoenix Publishing Associates Ltd. 
14 Vernon Road, Bus hey WD2 2JL, 



SINCLAIR USER Septum for 1984 



87 



TWO 



THE WORD PROCESSOR 



%» 



64 CHARACTERS PER LINE ON THE SCREEN AND TO PRINTERS! 
MICRODRIVE COMPATIBLE — instructions supplied 



"Tasword has gained an enweWe reputation as not only the 
best word processor for the Spectrum but as a word processor 
better than many available for other, more word processing 
orientated machines. " popuwa computing weekl r j u ™ ise* 

'The number of onscreen prompts, together with the 
excellent manual make it idea! - even for an absolute 

beginner. " PERSONAL COMPUTE* WORLD Sstprsmbpx 1983 

'Without doubt the best utility / have reviewed for the Spec- 
trum. " HOME CQMPU IMG we EKLY April 198* 

-What makes a word processor mote or less versatile is its 
control features Tasword Two offers en impressive selection 
and the tutor program succeeds in demonstrating them 

admirably. " etf ctromcs and computihg Novamiwr t9$3 

'If you have been looking for a word processor, then took no 
further. " crash jvne i9*s 

-Taswordis showing a degree of sophistication that business 
computers took many years to develop. " what micho? Oct isb 



TASWORD TWO The Word Processor* £13-90 

Your Spectrum becomes a professional word processor 
*ith TASWORD TWO TASWORD TWO gives you an amazing 
Zt ehftwten P« line on your screen. This is ideal tor standard 
M pI3? "dTASWOflD TWO prints your text |lltf « > 
aooears on your screen. 
Tasword Two drives the following interfaces. 
Cobra FS232 I/O Port ADS Interface 

Euroetectrontcs interface Kempston interface 

Hitderbay Interface Morex Interface 

Sinclair 2X Interface 1 Tasman Interface 

The same program drives these interfaces. A short easy to fol- 
low set of instructions takes you through setting up your Tas- 
w ord Two to drive the interface you have or choose to buy. 
Tasword Two also drives the ZX printer. 

Tasword Two is readily adapted for the microdrives to give 
super-fast saving and loading of both program and text The 
microdrive instructions ere supplied with the Tasword Two 
manual. 

TASWORD TWO TUTOR free with Tasword Two 

ta^wORD TWO comes complete with a manual and a 
calsene The^ssene covins your TASWORD TWO and 
TASWORD TWO TUTOR This teaches you word processing 
u"ng TASWORD TWO. Whether you have serious Ration* 
or sfmply want to learn about word processing TASWORD 
TWOand TASWORD TWO TUTOR make it easy and enjoyable. 

TASWIDE - 64 characters per line! £5-50 

A machine code utility program, TASWIDE doubles the 
information that your own programs can display. Make a 
simple change to your print statements and your output 
appears on the screen at 64 characters per line instead of me 
normal 32. Both print sires can be mixed on the screen. 
Mid 48K versions supplied on the same cassette. 



16K 



TASPRINT The Style Writer 

A must for dot matrix printer owners! Print your program 
output and listings in a choice of five impressive print sty'". 
Tasprint utilise* the graphics capabilities of dot matrix 
p r int ers to fo rm, wi th a d ou bl e pa ss of th e p n nth ead . outpu tin 
a ra nge of five fo nts varying fro m the tutu ri stic data ■ run to the 
hand writing simulation of palace script Drives all the printer 
interfaces listed under Tasword Two and all dot matrix 
printers with bit image graphics capabilities. You can also use 
TASPRINT to print Tasword Two text files. TASPRINT gives 
your output originality and style! Send s.ae, for brochure 
which inl cud es TASPRINT output. £9,90 



TASIWIAN PARALLEL PRINTER INTERFACE 

Plug into your Spectrum and drive any printer fined with the 
Centronics standard parallel interface, Supplied complete 
with ribbon cable and driving software. The cassette includes 
LUST, LPRINT, and text screen copy software for ell 
Centronics printers. The user changeable interface software 
makes it easy to send control codes to your printer using the 
■method so successfully pioneered with Tasword Two The 
cassette also contains fast machine cndehigh resolution 
screen copy software for Epson, Star, Seikosha. Shinwe, and 
Tandy Colour Graphic (in colour I) printers. Send s.a.e. for 
brochure which includes sample print-outs and a full list of 
printers supported by screen software. Compatible wit! 
microdrives. ZX Interface 1. 



£39.90 



TASMAN RS232 PRINTER INTERFACE 

Specification and software as above but drives printers 
fitted with the RS232 standard interface A low cost route to 
printing _ especially suitable for use with the Tandy Colour 
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Supplied complete with cable - please specify whether 4 pin 
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* Available from larger branches 0* Boots 

For further information on all these products send an s,ae. 

with "Tasman Brochure" written on the flap 



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Send cheque f.O, or Access number with order 
Telephone Access orders: Leads IQ532) 43B3-Q1 



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SINCLAIR USER September 1934 



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The micro interface forms the nerve 
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entro 



QL Revisited 



John Gilbert 
waxes warmer 

No bungle 
no dongle 
no sweat 



THE QL COMPUTER re- 
viewed in the July issue of Sin- 
clair Iter was one of the first to 
go to customers. Since then Sinclair 
Research has produced several other 
versions, the latest of which contains 
The 48K ROM upgrade with which the 
company seems satisfied. It seems ap- 
propriate, therefore, to look at the ma- 
chine in the light of those recent 
modifications. 

The computer may not look different 
from the outside^ although some keys 
on the keyboard still bounce and cause 
letter- repeat but the software has 
changed dramatically. 

Most noticable are the changes in 
QDOS, the multi-tasking, time-slicing 
operating system which takes care of the 
microdrives and the other peripheral 
devices. 

The two drives are at least twice as 
fast on the new version than they were 
on the original. Their independence 
from other devices under the mult it ask 
system is also more apparent. After 10 
to 15 seconds of drive operation, when 
SAVEing a program, the keyboard goes 
back into operation and it is possible to 
type in the next command before the 
microdrive finishes its previous task. 

You can also stack SuperBasic com- 
mands to devices such as microdrives. 
One command is executed after another 
but the job scheduling part of QDOS 
will execute the tasks as if they are all 
running together. It is impressive to 
watch and saves time on a slow ma- 
chine. 

The Sinclair decision to use the 
68008 as the main processor has been 
debated and criticised by certain sec- 
tions of the press. The reason is that 
many journalists are annoyed because 
Nigel Searle is calling the QL a 3 2 -bit 
machine. They see it as an S-bil micro 
with 32-bit internal structure. While 
that is correct it would have been con- 
fusing to put 32/8-bits on the specifi- 
cation. Sinclair may have chosen the 




bigger number but that is all part of the 
sales pitch and is not untrue. 

The argument about the chip specifi- 
cation is a little pointless, as the 68008 
can still handle 32 bits of information. 
It has to do it in smaller blocks and, as a 
result, the chip works slightly slower 
than the 68O00 or its bigger brother, the 
68032. There is no reason why the QL 
should not handle software which has 
been written for those other two proces- 
sors and that puts the machine into a 
new league of computers in terms of 
chip compatibility and programming. 

The internal structure of the QL 
makes SuperBasic slower than it could 
be but the language is still one of the 
most innovative and powerful Basic in- 
terpreters on the market. The struc- 
tured format, which has changed 
several times since the original specifi- 
cation was released, is compatible with 
BBC Basic and also includes a set of 
turtle graphics commands which are a 
great improvement on the original. 

In the original Sinclair User review of 
the QL it was stated that the program 
editing facilities of the computer were 
appalling. The latest model provides 
better commands but the QL still has 
only a line editor. No full-screen editor 
is provided, which is a pity, as it would 
have been easier to operate. 

The new editor traps lines which 
contain errors and send them back to 
the editing window for correction. You 
can either erase them completely or 
scan the line and do the correction. 

SuperBasic may be slow but the num- 
ber-crunching abilities of the QL, in 
which many people in the business and 
scientific community will be interested, 
puts it in the middle of the serious 
professional market if nothing else does. 
It can out-calculate machines such as 
the Apple II and He and also the IBM 
PC and it can do it in almost three- 
quarters of the time. 

That opens new fields of use in the 
engineering and scientific industries. 



The 68008 will also provide plenty of 
scope for students in those areas who 
need inexpensive computing power. 

The so-called window facility pro- 
vided by Sinclair on the QL cannot be 
ignored in the hope that it might go 
away. The computer does not provide 
real windowing which can be found on 
the bigger, and more expensive ma- 
chines, such as the Apple Macintosh or 
Lisa, 

True windowing requires extra hard- 
ware which costs money and which is 
not available on a low budget machines 
such as the QL. The Sinclair computer 
uses a software technique to create the 
windows which might better be de- 
scribed as display areas connected to 
channels through which information, 
such as listings, can be sent to the 
screen. 

The QL windows, while being attrac- 
tive and impressive to beginners, have 
little to do with multi-tasking, as Sin- 
clair would first have had users and 
journalists believe. You cannot run sev- 
eral SuperBasic listings together on the 
machine, even if you put them in separ- 
ate windows. 

Although it is still easy to gloss over 
the QL marketing policy, it is difficult 
to find drastic faults with a product 
which costs £400 and offers professional 
computing power, albeit at the low end 
of the market. 

The QL still has its fair share of bugs 
and they will have to be ironed out. It 
is, however, beginning to fulfil the po- 
tential which it had when first 
launched. 

Sinclair should not be complacent. 
Software and hardware support must be 
produced quickly and in great quanti- 
ties or other manufacturers, such as 
Acorn or Spectravideo, will jump on the 
16- or 32-bit bandwagon. Sinclair Re- 
search has a narrow lead which could be 
eroded. If the company does not get it 
right this time it may not have the 
opportunity to try again. 



SINQAIR USER September 1984 



W 



DISC DRIVES. AT PRICES YOU 
CAN'T AFFORD TO IGNORE. 



Opus have un unbeatable offer for all 
Spectrum owners. 

Because, not only do we oiler a range 
of disc drives in black cases to match your 
Spectrum, but we'll also supply a disc inter- 
face which is fully compatible, and gives 
millisecond access to your program. 

And unlike anything else on the market, 



this disc interface is double density; in plain 
language, that means you'll effectively 
double the capacity of the discdrive you buy 
This bargain also includes VAT and tw( > years 

guarantee. 

To take advantage of this unique otter, 
clip the coupon below or drop into our 
showroom. 




V DISC DRIVE. 

• Twice the capacity on 
line of other available 
drives, 

• 200K Single Density - 
4 OOK Double Density. 

• Easy to conned u i the Spectrum. • 3ms. Access time, 

• Low p< m a coi sumption - direct drive. 

• Manual and free disc cartridge provided. 

I ) sided 40 Track Drive 34(12 PS Single drive. £22995 

.^402 D Dual drive £459.95 

g « sf ^.t v nwr DRIVES WITH FSU. 

• All '-height. 

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manual. 

• l Hiect drive mechanism. • last access rime 

s40l PS I OOK Single sided 40 Track 




5402 PS 200K Double sided 40 Track 
SH02 PS 400K Double sided hardware switchable 
80/40 Track 



£14995 
£189.95 




OPUS SPECTRA DOS DISC INTERFACE. 

The ultimate Spectrum compatible disc interface. 

• Double density. 

• Disc < roerating system In >m K< )M. 

• Reduced amount ofKAM taken by the Interlace 

• Uses Spectrum key words 

• Compatible with all Opus drives. 

• ( ;entn mics Printer POrt ( >n N >mt. 

• RAM upgrade ava liable. 

• I alkies include transfer in mi (ape to disc. 

• Pull user manual supplied -A,/9. >*> 



GENEROUS EDUCATION AND D EALER '>'^H1NTS 
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£219-95 



OPUS PRODUCTS ARE AVAR ABIT: FROM W.H. SMITHS, 
BOOTS, SPECTR1 M JOHN MENZIES, AIJJ>ERS AND 
OTHER GOOD COMPUTER STORES NATIONWIDE. 



SI/.- D1.1A1.PISC . 
DRIVES. 

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5402D 400K/B00Kon line D/sided 4l I lrack_&39V-^ 
5802D80OK/1.6 Megabyte on linel) sided 

hardware switchable 80/40 Track- - £499.95 

FIjOPPY DISCS. 

3* cartridge £5.75 each or £25.95 for 5. 



■ lM < »pus Supplies Ltd., I^BCamberwdl Ku:.d. Umdon ^ \ i WEE ««* 



"I 



Quantity 



i lescriptiori 



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Jill JU^y ■« J' ' J *-*"-■■ - . r ... 

Discs - with full 5 year warranty and tree library 



1 encfe se ;i che< iue l< a & 

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TOTAL 



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s sS D £17.95 for 10. 

s si) D £19.95 for 10 
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s S HO Track £25-95 tor 10. 

D/S 80 Track £27.95 for 10. 




QL Monitor = 



SINCLAIR has a winning combi- 
nation — a new more powerful 
computer, a revolutionary operat- 
ing system, a new dialect of Basic> and, 
most important, has taken away the 
drudgery of wading through a manual 
to try 10 discover how it works. 

It seemed that the best plan would be 
to delve into the QL memory and find 
which addresses are used by the system 
and where the program area lies. A 
short program such as that shown in 
listing one is all that is needed to dis- 
cover that the memory is divided be- 
tween ROM and RAM, roughly as 
shown in figure one. 

Thai program could, of course, be 
changed to given a more detailed look at 
key pans of the QL memory. Listing 
two shows a single Basic monitor pro- 
gram which evolved from the desire to 
do something useful while idling away 
[he hours discovering the syntax of 
SuptrBasic by trial and error. 

The screen layout of the program will 
be the same, whether Fl or F2 is 
selected on power up. Line 90 alters the 
dimensions or the default output chan- 
nel — channel one — so as to give the 
best display. Three options are pro- 
vided from the menu display: an area of 
memory, alter an area of memory — 
placing [he same value in each location, 
and quit to Jeave the program. The 
selection is made by pressing the key 
corresponding to the first letter of the 
required option. Notice the use of SE- 
Lect to determine appropriate action. 

If the 'display' option is chosen you 
wilJ be asked to give the address from 
which you want the display to start. 
The PROCedure address will accept bo 
input cither in decimal or prefixed by 
'$', in hex. The procedure is not en- 
tirely mug-trapped but will eliminate 
the most likely causes of invalid inputs. 



Luting 1 
5 CLS 

20 FOR j- O TO 256 

23 K»J»I 

70 a=PEEK(HJ :P0KE w , 65 

35 PRINT j;"K "fPEQCC*)f * 1 , 

40 POKE x,a 

45 NEXT j 



This routine provided an interesting 
exercise in discovering how the QL 
handles strings. In its turn, address calls 
up another procedure to evaluate the 
string as a number, which is then re- 
turned as a: value in (he variable i. 

The next action is a call to the PRO- 
Cedure display. That will show 24 
s, each displaying the contents of 16 
memory locations. Those values are 
shown in hex. Where they correspond 



Secrets of the 
QL memory 

The organisation of ROM and RAM pro- 
vides an insight into the new machine's 
abilities. Eric Cowsill provides the answers 




to a printable character that is also 
displayed. 

The display of printable characters 
makes it a relatively easy task to find the 
keywords in ROM, the Basic program 
area and the RAM used for string stor- 
age, buffers and system variables. 

When the display is complete, three 
options are available. 'Up arrow' will 
show the area of memory immediately 
preceding that displayed. Similarly, 
'down arrow 1 will show the block of 
memory immediately following, 'L* re- 
turns to the main menu. 

If 'Alter' is selected, three values arc 
requested. They are the start and end 
addresses and the value to be placed in 
those locations. The area which has 
been altered is then displayed automati- 
cally as soon as 'Alter 5 has been execut- 
ed. 

Working systematically through the 
QL memory will reveal more about the 
machine but figure two will highlight 
the areas which are likely to prove of 
interest. 



The other purpose in writing [he 
program was to try to discover how 
some of [he SuperBasic works, Four of 
the programming techniques used will 
be of particular interest. 

The string-handling capabilities are 
very interesting but not yet fully-imple- 
mented, Some of the string-handling 
functions lead to error messages or even 
program crashes, although on another 
program RUN they may operate per- 
fectly well. That serves to demcmslrate 
the temporary and incomplete nature of 
the existing ROM. It seems that if 
string slicing is to be effected it is 
necessary to DIMetision a string array. 
The DEFined PROCedure address 
demonstrates the use of string slicing 
operations to eliminate invalid inputs. 

The use of DEFine PROCedure in 
place of the usual form of subroutine 
has the advantage that the routine can 
be called by name — whether from the 
main program or from another pro- 
cedure — rather than by, e.g., 'GOSUB 

continued OH page 9& 



SINCLAIR USER September 1984 



95 






QL Monitor 




Listing 2 

•» REMark ********************* 

:I REHark BftSIC HON IT OR PROGRAM 

"0 REnark FDR SINCLAIR QL 

ZS PEHark Eric E&*si 1 1 

30 REMjrk MAY 1PB* 

3S REHaj-k *».*«*** f***** t***t* »»* 

+ 00 csiie o, a J mode a 

102 DUt hiK*tft)iOlH in*(101 

< &3 REPeat main 

107 CL*>#1 

lit? PRINT " BfiSIC ?WNlTQft , *I 

112 PRINT - PROGRAM" 

123 PRINT: PRINT 

12S PRINT "BtlKt frofil-" 

140 PRINT " Dieplay" 

143 PRINT " Ulter" 

130 print ■ 0uit- 

1B5 REPeat kbdl 

16» inp*=IWK.EV* 

162 IF ln**<>" THEN EXIT kbdl 

165 END REPeat kbdl 

} 7ft tnp=CODE(inp*> 

1BU IF inp >*5 THEM inp"inp-32 

190 SELect inp 

7*4- ON inp "= 68 

201 CLS#liPRI«T 

202 PRINT "Start address 
-0T *ddres* 6: display 

20-. Q« inp = fcSsalt*!-] display 
219 ON inp = 91 s EXIT main 
239 END SELect 
233 END REPeat n>*m 

!-*» REM.rk ti*.**t-***««*«**«* 

10ie DEFine PROCedure display 

1013 REPeat show 

1*20 FDR j=i TO i-348 STEP 16 

30 x=jidecheK 5 

f4G PRINT hx*M TO ) 5" *S 

,50 FOR k "* TD 7 

160 »-FEEKlj*l- > 

li5 deche* 2 „_„._,,« 

170 PRINT hw*tl TO 21»" ! 

rafc END FOP k 

IBS PRIMT " "? 

»» FOR k*B TD 13 

L00 jt-peeKCj-^ki 

1*5 ductim 2 

HO print hK#(l TO 211* "3 

120 END FOB k 

l2Q PRINT" »| 

13* FOR k=MJ TO 15 

140 >t-PEEKtj*1ti iptchar a 

130 END FDR V 

1£0 PRINT 

176 END FDR i 

IB* PRINT "up- preceding f 

iai PRINT "black dOnn-n**t I 

1B3T PRINT " block L-l-av#"f 

VQ3 PPtNT " function 1 " 

1S4 REPeat kbd2 

1©S q*-INKEV0 

1^0 q=CODE<Q*> 

1193 IF q*l*B THEN q-76 

[20a SELect q 

|21B nN q*?*Bii"i-3B* 

1213 EXIT kbd2 

'22ft ON q«216ji=i*3B4 

'223 EXIT kbd2 

123.0 ON q«=76 3 EXIT shBH 

1250 END SELect 

126* END REPeat kttd2 

<2B* END REPeat show 

1290 END DEFine 

1300 PEMark «»«****»»•***"« 

1310 DEFine PROCedure -.Iter 

1326 CUfi: PRINT 

5 772 PRINT "fllt«r meacrv (rom 1 

■324 a.ddre*» 6 

133« *l=i 

1340 PRINT 
342 PRINT "End addr-ese'* 
144 address 6 

,338 PRINT 

;3A« PPINT "Value to msirt 

1342 *ddre*s 3 

[370 val»i 

■330 FOP a«al T ° a - 

i;B2 POKE a»v»l 

1193 END Ft* a 

13B5 i=al 

■ 390 END DEFine 

■4«0 REfl-rV *f*M****«»«*»"* 

141?> DEFine PROC#dLirH address <di 

-.415 PRINT "Enter addres* in "I 



mmimui /nm page S5 

1000'. That means that the program to 
some extent is self-documenting pro- 
vided names are chosen sensibly. 

The procedure begins with. DEFine 
PROCedure name and terminates with 
END DEFine instead of RETURN, 
The disadvantage of that simple struc- 
ture is that because it can be called 
simply by name, SuperBasic will often 
fail to detect errors in entering 
keywords* assuming instead thai 8 pro- 
cedure is to be called. 

Notice the way in which parameters 
- values - can be passed to, and for 
that matter from, PROCedures. The 
PROCedure address expects a value to 



142* 
3 422 
]423 

:426 

1427 

1479 

142* 

141* 

1431 

14"52 

1433 

-434 

1435 

143i 

1437 

143B 

1439 

1440 

1441 

1442 

14*3 

1444 

1445 

1446 

1447 

1430 

1+A0 

1462 

14** 

1500 

1S10 

132* 

ISS0 

1S4« 

1350 

156& 

137* 

1380 

13I9B 

1592 

1393 

'.594 

1593 

1397 

i6*a 

161* 
142* 
■163* 
S£33 
1640 
165* 
166B 
167* 
]&■?* 

171* 
172* 
1736 
1732 
1734 
174* 
1750 

iT&e 

tMB 
1G10 
1S38 

:64? 
1899 

B66 

87* 



git > 



PR I NT* decimal or "J 
PRINT "prefix with **'** 
PRINT " and enter in hex." 
NPUT in* 
l=LENt*n*lind=* 

k-1 

PEPeat lead 
IF K=diflit THEN EXIT lead 
IF V?di91t THEN EXIT lead 
in-: I -t-k-di git 
LET ln*lkJ-i"*'* , 
k«k+l 
END REPeet lead 
i n *=i n* ( 1 TO 61 
FOP k-J TO LEN [i(i*l 
in-CODEMn*!k) 3 
IF in-56 Tt#IN hd-1 
IF in>96 THEN in=in-32 
IF in>7* THEN in-4B 
IF in<4Q THEN lrc=4B 
ln*(kJ=CHR*(in1 

EMD FDR k 

SELect hd 
ON nd = »:eval 
ON hd = lihe'H-dBC 

END SELect 

RETUfk- Digit specifie", ««* 

REflark lenflth o* in* 
END DEFine 

REnark *t* !*****•«* "*»*** 
DEFine FROCedure dechas* Cplace* 

hn* =1 "" 

FOR z=place»-l TO * STEP -1 

[F y>9 THEN y"»y+7 

y=-y+4B 

hH* (place»-z I "CHR* ty> 
END FOR x 
REMark Place* specif i«* 
RFrtark number of hen 
RENark digit* to &» 
PJEMark returned 

END DEFine 

REMark **************** 
DEFine PROCeiiure hmd*c 

j-LENtxn*l 

FOR k-j T" I STEP -1 
a^CDDE t i n* t k > ) 
tF a>57 THEN a"a-7 
a-*-4B t i -i +*• 16" < J^k 1 
END FOR k 
ENO DEFine 

RCMrh H(H«MHtl'»» 
DEFine PROCedure ewal 
1»0: j-UENiin*) 
FOR k=j TO 1 STEP -1 
■ ■=CO0E(in»(k1 i 
IF ai4B OR *>=7 THEN #-4B 
i-i+(*-491*l**l j-k> 
END FOR k 
END peFinH 

fipnark *****■«****»*****«** 
DEFine PROCedure ptehar Jul 
IF *<J2 THEN w-46 
IF K>1Z6 THEN :<=4i 
PRINT CHR*tKl I 
END DEFine 
RErlai-i, ******************** 



be passed to it which will be the value of 
the variable digit — see line 1410, That 
value is passed when the PROCedure is 
called by placing the relevant value after 
the PROCedure name — see lines 1 120, 
1 340 and so on. 

REPeat name is used at the begin- 
ning of a program loop. Execution of 
the program will continue with the 
instruction following the REPeat in- 
struction when END REPeat name is 
reached. That eliminates many occur- 
rences of GOTO. For example, in line 
235 of the monitor program END RE- 
Peat main could be replaced by GOTO 
107. The program will break out of the 
loop when EXIT name is encountered 
_ see line 210. The writer found that 
the REPeat name had to be on a line of 
its own, otherwise the program seemed 
to end in continuous loop. 

SELect n introduces a powerful 
structure to enable multiple branches to 
be selected. The statement is followed 
by a number of conditions. A sequence 
of instructions may follow each con- 
dition but only if the condition is true 
will the instructions be executed, Ex- 
ecution of the program will then contin- 
ue at the instruction following END 
SELeci, Notice the mopping-up con- 
dition ON n - REMAINDER. The 
instructions following that condition 
will be executed if the value of the 
variable is not one for which an alterna- 
tive course has been specified. 

The SELect n structure corresponds 
in certain respects with IF . . THEN , 
ELSE IF . . . THEN. It has, 
however, some advantages over this al- 
ternative. The sequence of instructions 
to be executed can continue on separate 
lines which again reduces the need for 
GOTO statements. 

That structure is used several umes 
in the monitor program, for example in 
line* 190 to 230. It appears to work only 
with a numeric variable and where the 
condition is expressed in the form ON n 
= nl rather than ON n < nl or ON n 

> nl. 

Time, no doubt, will provide the 
answers as to how best to use the no 
doubt very powerful SuperBasic com- 
mands and structures. 



m Since the article was written the 
writer has received a copy of the QL 
mommL One or mo minor amendments 
to the program have been incorporated but 
there are still no solutions to the string- 
handling problems referred to. It seems we 
zvill have to waif unlit the dongk in fifte 

rtridge port t* replaced by the final 



ca 



version of the ROM. 



SINCLAIR USER SfpKmtvr li 



96 



YOU can go for gold 



...with the JtMCfto, 



Fancy pitting yourself against the worlds 

best at this summer's Olympics? 

You can do so without going anywhere 
near Los Angeles - with the most 
challenging package of programs of 19S4. 

MICRO OLYMPICS is more than a 
game. Its a brilliantly written collection of 
ELEVEN track and field events. 

And because we know were going to 
sell many thousands of them we've brought 
the price right down - to just £5 95, 

Ever imagined yourself as another Seb 
Coe? Then try to run against the world 
record holder at 1500 metres. And if that 
distance is too much for you then there's 
always the 100 r 200, 400 and BOO metres 
to have a go at. 

Met much good at running? Don't worry. 
MICRO OLYMPICS has many more 
challenges for you. Why not try your skill at 
the high jump or the long jump? 

And if you can't beat the computer at 
running or jumping then you can always 
throw things around in frustration! The 
trouble is that it's just as hard to be a 
champion at the discus, the hammer or the 
javelin, 

And the pole vault takes the event to 
new heights! 

Yes, it's fast furious fun. pitting 
yourself against the world's best times and 
distances on your micro. 

You may not be another Steve Ovett or 
Alan Wells, but with practice you COULD 
become the Micro Olympics Champion I 







Also a vaifable from WH Smith Mfa 
and all other leading stores Mtt* 




Play Micro Olympics 
- and let your fingers 
do the running! 



Send for it today 



copy/copies, ol 



Please send me 

Micro Olympics it ESj.95 

□ I inclose cheque mid* payable id 
Database Publications Ltd 
for t 



□ 48k Sped rum 
D Commodore R4 
D &&C B 

□ Eliciron 

Pfoass tick box 



£5.96 
each 



I wish lo pay by D Access D Visa 

No _Eipiry dale. 

Signed , 

Name __ 

Address - . 



Post to Micro Olympics otter. Uaianajs Pubhtaiiuns. 
6fl Chester fluid, Hazel Grow. Stockport SK7 5Nt 



w 



EVEN THE PRICE 
WILL KEEP YOU IN 



THE BLACK 

This sleek, black Microvitec CUB medium resolution 
colour monitor has been designed to be totally compatible 
with the Sinclair 01. An ability to display 85 column text is 
combined with outstanding graphic capabilities -at a price 
that won't break the bank. 




(inc. VAT) 



Specification 

Model: 

CUB 1451/003 

irO.L Monitor 

RGB TTl input 4% 

Tube Resolution (pixels) 

653(H) X585M 

Dot Pitch 0.43mm 

Bandwidth 1SMHi 

Aho available in Standard Resolution 
version tor only £225 inc, VAT. 















I «4 I I ■ 




»** 








Centronics Parallel Interface for QL 



CST announce the Qj Centronics Parallel 
Interface for Sinclair's QL - available NOW for only 

Cambridge Systems Technology can provide the missing link for your QL 
The CST Q- PI is a Centronics Parallel Interface offering full Q DOS device 
driver software. It will connect your QL to the wide range of printers and 
plotters which use the standard Centronics interface, and is fully 
compatible with Sinclair- sup plied PSION software, 

ORDER FORM 



Please send 
(and) 



Q-P! units @ £86,25 incl VAT 



Centronics cables @ £1 1,50 each incl 



(add post & packing @ £2.25 incl per unit) 



CHEQUE/P-Q NO 



Name.. 



Postcode 



.Date of Order 



Phone — 

CUT AROUND BROKEN LINE AND DESPATCH WITH YOUR REMITTANCE TO: 
CAMBRIDGE SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY 30 Regent Street Cambridge 




REMITTANCE TOTAL 
. Add ress 



CB2 1 DB 



The Key to Spectrum Machine Code Success 



NEW IMPROVED PROGRAMS — MICRODRIVE COMPATIBLE 




ASSEMBLER 

completely self-contained 

with its own line editor giving 
an easy-to-read 40 column 
tabulated listing. Auto line 
numbering, line renumbering 
and auto tabulation make this 
one of the fastest ana easiest 
Assemblers to use 5- 
character label names. 
Decimal, Hex or ASCII 
constants. SAVE /LOAD.' 
verify both the listi ng and 
Machine Code to cassette/ 

MICRODRIVE/NETWORK. 



lb ^* ^» Assemble from cassette or 

15 ^ Microdrive into memory for very 

?J ^^^iarge programs. Customise to most Centronics 
printer interfaces, or RS232 (with interface 11 for SO column 
printout fast assembly — 1k of code in 7 seconds 
Assembler Directives— ORG, end. defb, defw. DEFM. ECU, 
defl (Microdrive and Centronics facilities *">0 Frt 
omv operate with 48K machines J f- fy JU 

INCl VAT & P&P. 

Prnqrart, lL.pDi.on - nCHMtn mtft -,pHan [Q tlue nnfo H**OW*r Irjr U .a wnnr^plWOi 



MONITOR 

The ideal tool to help the 
beginner get started, yet it 
contains all the commands for 
the experienced programmer 
to run and de-bug machine 
rode programs inspect and 
alter memory contents in 
Hex or ASCII Breakpoints and 
full Register display NOW 
WITH SINGLE STEPPING 
through RAM or ROM. 
Disassemble any part of 
memory, ram or rom Dec- 
Hex-Dec number converter 
Printer output to ZX 
printer or via RS232 (with 
interface 1) or customise to 
most Centronics printer interfaces. General memory 
management commands include Hex dump, insert, 
Delete Fill and Move. Can reside in memory with the 
Assembler cask machines oniy> to give a com pie re 
m acb i n e c ode p rog ramrn i ng system, p^ FA 




^*w«wr«*»mrn ■=. ■■ ' "^»»«*f"! : l . l . , -; i !l : 1 " l ^ , ., , ;-J',"" rn "' n " M ' " 
tnmvm,^ it. j ^^jj d,, [iioy jm ,\nf. wt a p|pi me* cass e ttes wii> ne'.u ppi-pa ny reruTfi or pobi , 



Available from the spectrum chain of stores, branches Of John Menses and all good computer 

shops or by mail order by senomg cheque ^ PO to: 

picturesque 6 Corkscrew Hill, west wickham, Kent, BR4 9BB Send SAE fordetaiis 



INCL VAT & P$P 




°ICTUR 



SNCLAl R USER Septem ber 1984 



99 




3PEC7RUI71 JOYVTiCK inTERFACE 

KEMPSTON COMPATIBLE • SIMPLE PLUG IN AND GO DESIGN 

FULL R0.S COLOUR PACKAGING • USABLE WITH ANY ATARI/ 

CAN REUSED WITH DKTRONICS QUICKSHOT JOYSTICK 

KEYROARD • FULL 1 YE AR NO QUIBBLE WARRANTY 



OTHER PRODUCTS INCLUDE 

SPECTRUM DISK DRIVE INTERFACE SRP £69.95 

SPECTRUM DISK SYSTEM [ INCLUDING DISK DRIVE ) SRP £249.00 

BBC100K DISK DRIVE (INCLUDING PSU1 SRP £189.00 

RRC TOOK DISK DRIVE [WITHOUT PSU] SRP£179 DO 



*ALL PRICES ARE SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICES INCLUDING VATAT15 



RETAILERS CONTACT 

CENTRE SOFT 

Unit 24 

lipt on Trading Est ale 

Tipton 

West Midlands 

0X4 9AH 

Tel 021 520 7591 



STAGE ONE 

Parshire House 
2 Kings Road 
Haslemere 
Surrey 
BU 27 ZQT 
Tel 0428 400 



PSLMARKniNG 

SZLimburyHoad 

Luton 

Bedfordshire 

Tel 0502 591493 



DRAKE DISTRIBUTION 

Unit 45 

Enterprise Plymouth 

Somerset Place 

Stoke 

Plymouth 

Tel 0752 500951 



SPECTHUMUKLTD 

29 Burrnwfield 
Welwyn Garden City 
Herts 



Tel D70J73 34761 



1 SAVILLE ROAD ■ WESTWOOD • PETERBOROUGH PE3 7PRTEL 0733 260930 



100 



SINCLAIR USER September 1964 



Starter Pack 



GLOSSARY 

Basic — Beginners' All-purpose 
Symbolic Instruction Code. A pro- 
gramming language resembling 
English which is used by beginners 
because most popular microcom- 
puters have it as standard. 
Bug — an error in a program. 
EPROM — Erasable Programmable 
Read-Only Memory. Semi- 
permanent storage. Information is not 
erased if the power is turned off in the 
computer. Programs can be erased by 
subjecting the memory chips to ultra- 
violet light. The memory can then be 
re-programmed using an electrical 
device called an EPROM blower. 
Interface — RS232 and Centronics. 
A device which enables other com- 
puters or add-ons, such as printers, to 
be connected to the computer. It con- 
verts non-standard signals from add- 
ons to the standard signals of the com- 
puter in use. 

Kilobyte — (K). A measurement of 
memory size. Most machines use 16K 
as a minimum but 48 JC is generally 
agreed to be necessary for serious work. 
Machine code — an electronic pulse 
code used by the computer to perform 
functions and communicate with 
memory and other devices. 
Mnemonics — abbreviated instruc- 
tions — for example LD for Load — 
used in machine language programm- 
ing. 

Motherboard — an external printed 
circuit board which is used like a 
multi-way plug planner. It enables 
other printed circuit boards, such as 
graphics boards and colour boards, to 
beslotted-m. 

Port - a link to the outside world 
which can be used by programs and 
the computer. 

PCB — printed circuit board. A 
board which has on it the electronic 
circuits of the computer. 
RAM — Random Access Memory, In- 
formation and programs can be stored 
in this type of memory as electronic 
pulses which conform to a set of 
numbers — machine language — in 
which programs are represented in the 
computer. When the power is turned 
off the information will be lost. 
ROM — Read Only Memory, Infor- 
mation stored in this type of memory is 
not lost when the power is switched off. 
Software — programs which control 
the operation of the computer. 
Syntax error — a bug caused by in- 
correct use of a programming 
language. 




Our easy-to-follow guide for new owners 

The basic route to a 
habit- forming hobby 



BUYING a Sinclair machine can be 
the start of a life-time's obsession 
with home computing. It is easy, 
however, to become discouraged if 
everything does not go according to 
plan from the beginning. 

For those with only a little knowledge 
of computers and their capabilities, the 
best way to approach the machines is to 
abandon any ideas for special uses. While 
the 48 K Spectrum is big enough for 
simple uses in small businesses, the range 
of Sinclair computers does not contain 
machines for major uses. It is better to 
become accustomed to the many facilities 
and then decide how you wish to use 
them. 

Begin by unpacking your machine, 
overcoming your surprise at its size and 
weight and, following the manual, set up 
the system. Ifyou cannot get the K on the 
screen, check that everything is plugged 
into its correct socket and re-set the 
machine by pulling-out the power plug 
for one second and try tuning- in again. If 
still nothing appears, check the power 
supply unit by shaking it. If it rattles, 
return it, If it is satisfactory, check your 
system with that of a friend. 

Ifyou have a Spectrum you will have 
received an introductory booklet which 
explains what the computer can do and 
giving derailed instructions on how to set 
it up. Also included is a fault-finding 
guide. 

Once the K appears you are ready to 
begin learning about your machine. It 
can prevent family arguments ifyou can 
afford a separate television set for your 
system. It also makes life easier if you 
find somewhere to leave your equipment 



set up permanently. You will find thai a 
few power sockets are needed and a four- 
way block connector on a short length of 
extension cable will help to tidy trailing 
leads. 

When using a Spectrum^ a television 
set has to be more finely-tuned than when 
using a ZX-81 because of the added 
dimension of colour. If the set is not 
tuned properly, the colours will look 
hazy instead of sharp and clear. If no 
colour can be seen when it is switched on, 
the power supply or the television set 
may be at fault. 

Some users have experienced some 
difficulty with some television sets, 
which include Hitachi, Grundig and 
Toshiba. Sets which many people have 
found compatible include the Sony 
Trinitron, Fidelity and Ferguson. Re- 
cent changes in the ula should make 
more sets compatible. 

The manuals are written in great detail 
and are reasonably easy to follow. Some 
of the chapters may not seem 
immediately relevant but it is worthwhile 
reading them as you might miss 
something important. 

Patience is needed at that stage to learn 
the ways in which the computer will 
accept information. It is tempting to try 
to enter programs before you are ready 
but that is likely to lead to errors. For 
example, words like AND, THEN and 
AT should not be typed -in letter by 
letter. 

By the time you have reached chapter 
I ] in the ZX-81 manual and chapter 1 9 in 
the Spectrum manual you should have 
accumulated sufficient knowledge to be 

continued on page 102 



SINCLAIR USER September ISM 



101 



Starter Pack 



continued frttm page 101 

able to type- in other people's programs, 
such as those in Sinclair User and Sinclair 
Programs, without too much difficulty. 

It is important when using the 
ZX-81 that it is not jolted. Some of the 
connections can easily work loose and 
everything which has been entered will 
be lost. 

The manuals are not m everyone's 
liking and if you find them difficult to 
follow a number of books on the market 
can help you. Find the one which suits 
you best. 

As a way of relaxing you can buy some 
of the growing range of commercially- 
produced software. That can be loaded 
directly from cassette but make sure that 
your machine is big enough to take the 
tapes you buy. 

For the ZX-81 there are a few tapes for 
the unexpanded IK machine but the 
majority require the 16K RAM pack. 
Similarly on the Spectrum most 
companies are taking advantage of the 
possibilities provided by the larger 48K 
machine rather ihan providing cassettes 
for the 1GK. 

The tapes can vary in quality and it is 
advisable to read the reviews in Sinclair 
User and use your judgment to find the 
best. 



An alternative method to learn about 
both the ZX-81 and the Spectrum is to 
plunge in at the deep end and see what the 
machines will do. Refer to the manuals 
when you have difficulties- You can 
ignore the functions and calculations 
initially and experiment with FRINT 
statements to obtain the feel of the 
machines. 

You may already have heard about the 
problem involved in SAVEing and 




LOADing your own cassettes. The 
tnanual gives detailed instructions but 
many of the early ZX-81s would not 
accept tapes from some recorders. That 
problem is said to have been overcome 
but there can still be difficulties. 

Usually they occur when LOADing 
tapes recorded by other people. One 
simple method to overcome this is to 
wind the tape to the middle of the 
program and type LOAD " " followed by 
NEWLINE; then increase the volume of 



thcrecorders low ly wi i h the i a pc ru nn in g 
until the television screen shows four or 
five thick black bands. IT you then re- 
wind the tape 3 the program should 
LOAD normally. 

LOADing and SAVEing on the 
Spectrum is much easier and faster than 
the ZX-8L One difference is that when 
SAVEing on the Spectrum the LOAD 
lead must be disconnected either at the 
recorder or the Spectrum. 

Finally, a health warning. Apart from 
any practical uses, computing with 
your Sinclair machine can be a very 
entertaining hobby and is almost 
certainly habit- forming. You may easily 
Find yourself crouched over your 
machine, red-eyed, in the early hours of 
the morning thinking that in another five 
minutes you will solve the problem. Try 
to break that habit by getting into the 
fresh air and meeting other Sinclair 
users. 

By obtaining a Sinclair computer you 
find that you have joined a not very 
exclusive club with many thousands of 
members, many of whom would be only 
too happy to advise you if you have 
difficulties. 

Make sure of your regular copies of 
Sinclair User and Smclatr Programs and 
vou can be guaranteed many happy hours. 









1 


1 
















I 


1 


1 


1 


1 
























X/IATWQ tctctt 


"^ 




















-1V1/\1 ri<^y 1 CL. 


























— 


































































































£ 1 HARPEN your mental arithmetic 
^^with Maths Test for the IK ZX- 
L*/81 by David Steel of Beith, Ayr- 
shire. The program will ask you to do a 
number of sums, telling you the correct 
answer if you are wrong. 

The graphics at lines 50 and 60 print 
a large question mark on the screen. 
Notice also that at line 100 the random 
numbers chosen by the computer for 
the sums must be printed as whole 
numbers by using the INT function. If 
you want to change the sums to subtrac- 
tion or other operations, change the 
plus sign in lines 100 and 105 to the 
appropriate symbol. 






48 P^fNT RT 4,20; _ ,RT 5,19. 

" 1 J"'i RT S,i£j "^" 

60 PRINT RT 7,20; Hl I" ;RT ft, 2a;" 

1" ' RT 9 20 ' " ■" 

fe0 PRiNfRT 4,1; "QUESTION: " 

90 LET ft-RN0*37S 

91 LET B»RN0*159 

100 PRINT RT 20,0; INT R;"+";INT 

B 

105 LET D-INT R+INT B 

110 FOR F«l TO 280 

111 IP INKCYItV"" THEN GOTO 200 

112 NEXT F 

130 PRINT RT 15,10; "TIME UP 1 ' 

140 GOTO 222 

200 PRINT RT 20,0; M 

205 INPUT R 

210 IF R*D THEN PRINT RT 15,10; 
''CORRECT " 

220 IF ROD THEN PRINT RT 15 , 10 
j "TUIT, WRONG" 

222 PRINT RT 20 , 20; "RNSUER*" ; D 

225 PRU5E 300 

230 GOTO 1 


































































































— 






































































































































































































102 



SINCLAIR USER September 1984 



Starter Pack 



MARK YOUNG of Hull wroii: 
Missile Strike, a simple ar- 
cade game for any Spectrum, 
You must use cursor keys 1 and 2 to 
move your spaceship and to fire your 
laser in an attempt to shoot down the 
missiles threatening the existence of 
Earth, 

The game uses special graphics charac- 
ters and you should turn to the first page 
of the Program Printout section to dis- 
cover how to enter them correctly. Take 
particular care with the underlined letter 
T. It is not an ordinary capital T but is 
attained by pressing key t while in graph- 
ics mode. The underline toiU not appear in 
your listing — it ii our method of showing 
that the letter is a user-defined graphics 
character and not an ordinary letter. 



Lines 1-9 



Lints 10-24 



Read the data for the user-de- 

fined graphics. The data is held 
in line 1040 in binary form, 
using the BIN command. The 
information is 1*0 KEd Into the 
eight bytes where the layout oi 
[he graphics character T is 
stored, For a full explanation a 
(he process, read chapter 14 of 
the Spectrum manual. 
Mainly decorative bm also set a 
few variables to zero for l.m-i 



22 

23 PAUSE 5~ 

24 PRINT CHR# Qi'Mfftp)"* i NEXT 




25 PRINT AT 1,9; FLASH 
ruction*?" (AT 3, < ?l"pre5» 



1.1 " I n 

dny k 



( ap ) " 



Lines 25-SO 



Uw9Qu28rj 



Lines 290-3 10 



Prim instructions for the game 
f requeued. 

Print [he basic screen for the 
game, 

Scr [he initial co-ordinates for 
your spaceship, which will be 
represented by the letitr D. The 
co-ordinates are set both for 
character squares and for the 
single pixels, so [hat your laser 
fire can be drawn at the proper 
place 

Set up the position for the en- 
emy ai random. 

Print your spaceship and gel 
ready to print the laser fire, 
Adiusi ihc coordinates acc-ord- 
ng to which key you press, 
Variable u holds the length of 
ynur laser fire. The other Una 
draw il depending on the posi- 
tion of your ship, 
if p is less than three you have 
failed to stop the missile. 
Removes the previously printed 
missile in preparation m print- 
ing it again elsewhere. 
You missed the missile bur have 
another chance to hit It. 
A new missile is required, 
The DATA statement for the 
user-defined graphics. 

Line* 4095-4OOS You have destroyed a missile, so 
the program prints a crude ex- 
plosion and makes a noise. 

Lines S00O- $020 Line 5000 makes more Done. 
Line 5010 and 50 1 5 add to your 
score and COum the number of 
missiles, in w, ff vou have de- 



Lines 3*4-396 



I .tries 400-402 



Lines 405-425 



Lines 439-445 



Line 460 



Line 470 



Line 480 

Line 490 
Line 1040 



30 LET b*-INKEY*s 

THEN GO TO 30 

4(5 IF b*-"n" THEN GO TO 90 

50 BORDER Ol PAPER Ot INK 7 

60 PRINT AT 19,0) INK 6|"cJ*fen 

d earth from the invaijinq!/*sp)i«v 

i sales which are(H.nsplpw»tr»t 

i ng the atmosphere "lAT 8,3; FLA 

SH If "1 (12>=t li*ap>up u j AT 10,3f 

2 < 1 2#»p ) - < 1 1 »sp > down " ; AT i 2 , 3 } " O 

( 1 2»r>p ) = ( I 1 *sp) * ire" 

70 FOR N--40 TO 30: BEEF O.l ,N 

i pecp o.Oi,N-ioi next n 

BO CLS 

90 BORDER Ot PAPER Ol 
LS 

lOO PRINT AT 3,Oj INF 2i "»***** 
#•#####*#***»#**» #■»-•-*»**•#" ; AT 1 
6,0( INK 6; ■'*»#**###*###*#•**••* 

110 PRINT AT 0,0| INK 2| " 
3AINST"|AT 19, Oj INK 6| " 
ZBO BORDER Ol PAPER Ot 
290 LET x-iOl LET y-Oi 
510 LET a=0t LET b-92i 



SCORE" 
INK 
LET 
LET 



7 

a-O 

c-lO 



391 LET 
396 FOR 



PRINT fll x.y^'D'i 6EEP 

PRINT AT x ,y| " <»p> " 

PLOT a, tit PLOT INVERSE 1|* 



stroyed 10 missiles you win, 
hi her wise the program returns 
to 391 for a new missile. 

Line 5100 Having destroyed 10 missiles 

you are congraiulaied and the 
program plays a tune. Following 
thai, the program will RUN 
again. 

Lines 6000-6030 A missile has got through to 
earth. Variable v holds the num- 
ber of failures and iT there are 
more than 10 you lose. 

Line ft 1 00 You have 3os( the E» rrt ^ and a 

message is printed. The pro- 
gram will then RUN again. 



AND fcr 13A THF N 



e^lNT (RND»Il)+4 

p=INT (RND*20)+10 TO 

STEP 

400 

l«Oi 

402 

,b 
405 LET »*=lNkEY* 
410 IF s*-"l" AND ) 

K™X "1 

415 IF s*="l" 
ET b-h+S 
420 IF a*=-"2" AND ?*<17 THEN 

T K"H+1 

425 IF a*="2" AND b>3et THEN 

T b=b-B 
4 39 LET u-150 

440 IF a*-"0" THEN DRAW *+u,Ol 
PLOT a,b: DRAW INVERSE l;a+u,0 
445 IF ■-« AND a**"©" THEN CO 

TO 4095 

, ,i>wnufit pwt pagr tot 



LE 



LE 



SINCLAIR USER September 1984 



L01 



Starter Pack 




460 IF p<.=<3 THEN GO TO 60O0 

470 PRINT flT e,pi INK 4;"T"' 
EF' .01 ,0001 . OSl PRINT AT e,p 
F)" 

4B0 NE*T p 

490 BO TO 391 
104O DATA BIN 00O0O00O,BlN OOOQO 
001, BIN O01lU0,BIN llUllll.BiN 

001 11 10, BIN OOOOOOOl , BIN OOOOOO 
0O,BlN O000O00O 
409= PRINT AT et, Pi PAPER Oi 
FOR n=7 TO O STEP -1 
4097 PRINT AT e,p» INK 3j"<ifl S3 " 
: BEEP .02,n-i2! PRINT AT P ¥ p}"< 
sp) " 

409B NEXT n 
50O0 FOR a-O TO 5t FOR n"0 TO 30 

STEP 6: BEEP .01, m NEXT nt EX 
T a 

5010 PRINT AT 21, q 5 INK 
ET q»q+3 
5015 LET *^w+l: IF H=10 THEN 

TO 5100 
5020 GO TO 391 

SiOO PRINT AT 10,5; INK ij "the 
i sales h#ve been<3F15>eieHt^Qyed ,, 

: PAUSE lOOi PRINT AT 14,Oj FLAS 
H i ; '<#«•***** WELL DONE! ■ 1 ****•*•" 

: BEEP -l,20i BEEP . l,17i BEEP . 

2,135 BEEF ,2,13: BEER .1,13= BE 

EP .1,15! BEEP ,l,17i BEEP .1 

s BEEP .2,20: BEEP .2,20i BEEP . 



2, 20 1 BEEP .2,17i FOR a-0 TO 4QO 

: NEXT m RUN 

6OO0 FOR a=*0 TO 2s FOR o™30 TO 

STEP -3i BEEP .Cl,ni NEXT Bl NE 
XT * 

6010 PRINT AT 2,1 i INK 2! M T_"t LE 
T i-i+3 
6O20 LET v-v+li IF v-10 THEN BO 

Tfl 61O0 
6030 BO TD 391 

h tOO PRINT AT 10,5; INK 2| "THE M 
ISSl.ES HAVE(16)0ESAMATED EARTH"f 

FOR n-O TO 400 i NEXT nt RUN 



5 i_£T R%~ 

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- LET 0=0 

3 LET P. =0 

= -ET 30 

10 i_ET R*21 

_i LET 6-INT 

_£ _ET Y=v+1 

13 i_£T flsfl-1 

15 PRINT PT 
15 PRINT h; 
17 PRINT - 

IS LET F*F-tINKEY$= '- 
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21 LET N^PEEK L6398+S5®*PEEK 

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£3 LET N=PEEK N 

hS PRINT #" 

2^ EF N=128 THEN GOTO 100 

--Z ^r P=0 OP Y=21 THEN SOTO 

60 IF R<10 THEN SOTO IS 

70 GOTO 110 

30 LET 0=0+1 



RND*15 



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EMBIlCEIll 



30 



££ 






OU ARE a little fly which has 
been guzzling the jam from a 
sandwich when suddenly the 

two halves of the bread start to close. 

You must use cursor keys 5 and 8 to 

reach a hole in the bread before you are 

crushed to death. 

The: game runs on the ZX-81 in IK 

and was written by Erik Smit of Leids- 

chendam in the Netherlands 



W/! 



Ki 






':■=. _! 



- =R + i 

34- G> 0T '9 
10 _ET 0*0-1 
105 IF R<10 THEN •_*•_ - 

10 PRINT "SCORE "jO 



IM 



SINCLAIR USER September }9S4 



Starter Pack 



Trapping the errors will 
ensure first-time running 



THE FIRST error code encoun- 
tered bv most Sinclair users is 
the flashing "S" on the ZX-81 
or "?" on the Spectrum, which indi- 
cates a syntax error in a sentence. Ex- 
perience and the manual soon show that 
it is caused usually by typing-in a 
keyword letter by letter, or by bad 
punctuation, for example omitting a 
semi-colon or an inverted comma. 

The most frequently-occurring error 
code is "2" — variable not found. A 
variable is a letter which has been given 
a numeric value. When you enter 
"LET a = 2" you are defining a vari- 
able. Error code 2 results when the 
computer reaches a variable in the pro- 
gram to which you have so far given no 
value. 

Check the line which the computer 
specifies. If it is your program, give a 
value to the variable or remove it. If you 
are copying the program, look back in 
the listing to see which line you have 
missed. 

Although the majority of error codes 
are explained adequately in the man- 
uals, the report "B- Integer out of 
range 1 * can be confusing. An integer is a 
whole number — 1 is an integer, 1.5 
and I J are not. That code occurs most 
frequently when you try to print some- 
thing beyond the limits of the screen. 

PRINT AT 0,31; "a" is acceptable 
and will print a letter "a" at the top 
right of the screen. PRINT AT 0,32; 
u a" would not be possible. The integer 
32 would be out oT range* resulting in 
error code "B". That would also hap- 
pen if the computer were instructed to 
PRINT AT OWab". It would still be 
trying to print a character beyond the 
limits of the screen. 

That error is more difficult to detect 
if variables have been used as co-ordin- 
ates and your character, or series of 
characters, is being printed in varying 
positions. If the instruction PRINT AT 
0,*;"a" produces report code B, make 
sure that the value of x never increases 
beyond 31. 

On the Spectrum "B-integer out of 
range" is also often found when you are 
POKEing-in user defined graphics. 
The biggest number which can be 
POKEd-in this case is 255 or BIN 
1111 1111. In that case the error code 



will occur in the line containing the 
POKE statement. In most cases, 
though, the error will have occurred in 
one of the DATA lines in the program. 

A very frequent error code produced 
on the Spectrum is "E-Out Of Data". 
That will occur in a line containing a 
READ statement. The error code, 
though, will have occurred in one of the 
program DATA lines, which may be 
nowhere near the READ line. A READ 
command sends the computer to a 
DATA line to collect the next piece of 
DATA contained there. That is often 
done using a FOR, NEXT loop, es- 
pecially when graphics are being set up. 

FOR n= 1 TO 8; READ n will send 
the computer to the DATA lines eight 



words such as LN or EXP as keywords. 

On the ZX-81 especially it is easy to 
forget that pressing "it" will produce 
the word PL 

Make sure that when the "is not 
equal" sign, *'< > " appears in a listing 
you always enter it as one character and 
not as "is less ihan'\ "<** followed by 
"is greater than", ">", 

Technical problems can also cause 
errors in programs. Any alteration to 
the power supply can cause a program 
to CRASH. In that case the screen 
display may change dramatically and 
using the keyboard will have no effect. 
The only solution is to unplug your 
computer and begin again* making sure 
that your power supply and RAM pack 



'The error need not be on the line which 
produces the report; that is simply the line 
where the computer meets the problem' 



times, for eight separate pieces of infor- 
mation. If there are only seven pieces of 
DATA there it will return to the READ 
line and produce the code OUT OF 
DATA, When there are several DATA 
lines they will all have to be checked, 
because the piece of DATA you have 
omitted was not necessarily the last. 

In some cases the computer will fol- 
low the program correctly, without pro- 
ducing an error code, but from the 
programmer's point of view the pro- 
gram contains an error. In that case 
BREAK into the program at the mo- 
ment it goes wrong. That will produce 
report code 9 and the line on which you 
have STOPped the program. That 
method makes it easy to locate the area 
of the program which contains the er- 
ror. 

Programs which you copy from mag- 
azines, books or from friends can be 
difficult to error-trap because they con- 
tain programming techniques which 
you have not yet learned, or simply 
because it is often difficult to follow 
another programmer's logic. 

The flashing "S" or "?" indicating a 
syntax error may appear frequently. In 
that case check carefully what you have 
copied. You may not have recognised 



are both connected firmly. That error is 
caused by the computer and not by the 
program. 

Sometimes a program listing in a 
book or magazine will contain what 
seems lo be a very obvious error. If it 
contains key words or symbols which 
are not on your computer, check that it 
is intended for your machine. Programs 
for the Spectrum, the ZX-81 and the 
ZX-SO are not usually directly inter- 
changeable. If a program contains the 
command GOTO or GOSTJB — a non- 
existent line number - the computet 
will simply go to the next numbered 
line after that one. That is a sign that a 
program has been developed and im- 
proved and is rarely an error. 

When you have errors in a program, 
first check the report codes listed in 
Appendix B of the manual. It may then 
be necessary to read the appropriate 
section of the manual. Remember that 
the error is not necessarily on the line 
which produces the report code; that is 
simply the line where the computer 
meets the problem Tor the first time. 

Always check carefully every line- 
connected with the line containing the 
error code and the mistake should be 
easy to locate. 



SINCLAIR USER September 1984 



105 



Why wait any 




The CHEETAH 32K RAMPACK "If 

simply plugs into the user port at 
the rear of your computer and 
increases the memofy instantly to 48 K 

Fully compatible with all SINCLAIR 

accessories via rear edge connector 

NO MEED TO OPEN COMPUTER AND 

IN VALI D ATE G U AR ANTEE 

Why send your computer away and wait 

weeks for upgrade 

Fully cased tested and guaranteed 




only £39-95 

including VAT and P&R 



Now make your 

Spectrum 
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Compatible with Interface I & II 



The Cheetah SWEET TALKER " jus.i plugs into the bacfc oi the 

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cased. tested guaranteed and compatible with all SINCLAIR 

accessories via rear edge connector. Complete with demonstration 

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No more lonely nights! 1 

Simply incredible at 

^Please quote when ordering whether Spectrum or ZXfil owner* 



£29-75 



16K RAM Pack for ZX 81 

64K RAM Pack for ZX 81 



£19.75 
£44.75 



Prices include VAT, postage & packing Delivery normally 14 days. Export orders at no extfa cost- 

Dea le r enq u i r i es we I com e 



Cheetah, products available from branches of 

I im> WHSMITH $ Rumbeiows 

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John Mfrnziti 



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[06 



SINCLAIR USER Stptmber 1SS4 





'■A 








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and access am 
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So, you can link into a variety of 
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Plus, your Prism VTX 5000 
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And now, our special offer means 
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* All prices mKTR'd nffiff to domestic usecnl) I orblHMM UW! the PitUel annual Mamling 
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Swapping 



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FOR JUST £11 *A MONTH YOU WILL GET: 

• A Prism VTX 5000 worth £99.95. 

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• Free user-to-user software - normally 
retailing at £19.00. 

• Quarterly hardware and software offers. 

• Discounted software through Micronet 
(up to 20*/o off retail prices). 




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Address:- 



Does Manic Miner 
improve your 
cognitive development? 
Joe Palca finds out 

CONTRARY to what you may 
have heard, computer games are 
not a waste of time. That at least 
is the opinion of Dr Michael Anderson, 
a researcher at the MRC Cognitive 
Development Unit in London. He be- 
lieves that computer games require new 
types of thinking. Moreover, he sees 
them as a potential learning tool, one 
which may open doors for children who 
cannot be reached by more conventional 
educational techniques. 

Anderson certainly does not fit the 
stereotype of the sniffy academic. He 
has a full red beard to go with his 
somewhat shaggy red hair and, in place 
of a white laboratory coat, he wears a 
button-down shirt and jeans. His broad 
Scots accent immediately indicates he 
does not hail from London. 

Some of his ideas set him apart from 
the majority of educators and academ- 
ics. He believes that people under- esti- 
mate how much thinking is required to 
play a computer game successfully. 

"Computer games may look just like 
fun, but there is an important amount 
of real learning which goes on in them", 
Anderson says. "What I am interested 
in is the kind of learning that is possible 
within that framework", 

Anderson is trying to study what goes 
through a game player's mind during a 
game — what a psychologist would call 
the cognitive strategies a player uses. 
He has begun experimenting with how 
people learn to become good at "com- 
puter games. 

"Wc are using the Spectrum for two 
main reasons. One is that we are inter- 
ested in the computer game format to 
investigate cognitive development. The 
thing about the Spectrum is that there is 
plenty of software available for it. As 
anybody who knows anything about 
computers finds, writing games soft- 
ware is tricky. 

"The second reason is that we will 
probably be taking our equipment into 
schools. The Spectrum is small and 
portable but it is also powerful." 

Anderson began his career in psy- 
chology at Edinburgh) studying intelli- 
gence. "I was interested in individual 
differences in intelligence — why some- 
body is cleverer than somebody else," 
he says. 

For his graduate degree Anderson 
moved to Oxford where he became in- 




terested in learning. There he met his 
first computer, a Pigirial Equipment 
PDP/BE, and wrote his first program 
for that machine, a simple paddle and 
ball game. 

At Oxford, Anderson became inter- 
ested in an area of psychology known as 
perceptual motor learning. At the sim- 
plest level, it is a type oflearning a baby 
does as it starts to reach out and touch 
things in the world around it. On a 
more complex level, perceptual motor 
learning is required by a surgeon, who 
must learn to move his arm extremely 
accurately while holding a scalpel, or by 
a footballer who moves his body into 
position to head a centre into the goal. 

Even a seemingly simple task like 
answering the telephone requires a good 
deal of perceptual motor learning. If 
you do not believe that, try writing a 
computer program which will be able to 
detect the ring, see the telephone on a 
desk, and then guide an arm to pick up 
the receiver. Despite that complexity, 
that type of learning has been somewhat 
ignored by psychologists. 

"I started looking at how people im- 



proved at perceptual motor tasks — how 
did they improve with practice?", An- 
derson says. "I found there is a larger 
cognitive component than had been 
thought previously- In other words, 
people improve at those types of tasks 
because they change what they do, rath- 
er than become more efficient at what 
they always had been doing, 

'Perceptual motor learning has never 
been thought of as having anything 
much to do with intelligence. Conven- 
tional wisdom may hold that you do not 
have to be very bright to be a good 
footballer but 1 do not think that is 
true" 

Anderson is a soccer player, a mid- 
fielder in a six-a-side team, and recently 
he went to Mont St Michel for a tourna- 
ment. "I suppose football is my other 
great obsession in life." 

In his office hangs an autographed 
picture of Kenny Dalghsh. "He's my 
hero", declares Anderson, "though he 
is getting a bit old," 

Next door to his office, a small room 
contains the computers Anderson uses. 
Besides the Spectrum there is a Micro- 



uo 



SINCLAIR USER Stpltmixr f984 





Lck VUB, a terminal connected to the 
university mainframe, and three Sirius 
computers, the newest of which con- 
tains a 10MB hard disc. 

To begin his research projects, An- 
derson is using a standard Spectrum, 
with a cassette drive for program load- 
ing. He uses an Atari joystick with an 
AGF interface. The interface permits 
h.m to standardise the way the games 
art controlled. 

Sitting in front of the Spectrum, 
Anderson begins to load Manic Miner 
so that he can demonstrate some of the 
concepts he is studying. The joystick is 
bolted to the table on which the com- 
puter stands, giving him a sturdy base 
from which to work. 

The Central Cavern appears on the 
screen. "The first time you see the 
ledges, they look solid, and you think 
you cannot jump through them but, of 
course, sometimes you can. You do not 
try certain strategies because you know 
things about the world you assume are 
true for the game. The game compels 
you to develop alternate ways of dealing 
with problems. When you start you 



bring world knowledge to bear on Man- 
ic Miner, Later, you bring Manic Min- 
er knowledge to Manic Miner." 

Anderson works his way quickly 
through the first few screens. "The 
Cold Room is dead easy. I suspect they 
put an easy screen near the start to keep 
you going", he says. 

By the time he reaches Eugene's 
Lair, Anderson is concentrating harder 
on the game. "The thing about Manic 
Miner is that there is more than one 
solution. My boss spent ages on this 
screen. He finally found all the keys and 
then Eugene came down to block the 
exit. It was a crushing blow for htm. He 
got it, though, and now spends his time 
finding more interesting ways of getting 
through". 

Arriving at the Wacky Amoebatrons, 
Anderson explains that patience is an 
important element in the game. "Like 
the Processing Plant, you have to wait 
for your chances. I tend to panic". 

At the Attack of the Mutant Tele- 
phones, idle chatter ceases. "This is as 
far as I've got . . , this is murder . , it 
collapses ... I forget . . . Oh, nooeo." 
He's not going any further on this day. 

Although his research project is just 
starting, Anderson has already had a 
chance to sample a fair number of the 
most popular Sinclair games. For the 
time being, however, his favourite is 
Manic Miner. 

Anderson is hoping to turn the addic- 
tive nature of the games to an advan- 
tage. "For a large proportion of the 
population, especially children, com- 
puter games are highly motivating. 
Children like to play them. School, on 
the other hand, does not generate the 
same enthusiasm. We are trying to pro- 
duce educational software which will 
contain some of the motivational as- 
pects of the computer games so that 
children like to learn." 

Anderson's primary goal is to under- 
stand the types of skills different com- 
puter games require. Before he tries to 
develop games to promote learning or 
encourage participation, he wants to 
know more about how much of those 
qualities exist in available games, 

"I am planning to look at a number 
of games to try to find what features are 
important for such variables as interest, 
excitement, boredom, frustration and so 
on. I am trying to distill some of the 
motivational properties of the games." 

Anderson plans to use all types of 
people in his initial experiments. "We 
shall run the initial studies not only on 
normal people and children of various 
ages but also on special groups — chil- 



dren with Down's syndrome, autistics, 
and so on, to see how they classify the 
games". 

Part of the function of the MRC 
cognititive development unit is to pro- 
vide microprocessor-based aids for the 
handicapped, in particular learning 
aids. 

"If you are so paralysed that ail you 
can do is move your eyes, you may have 
a perfectly well -functioning brain, but 
because you have so little control over 
your environment you may never be 
able to express that. When you can hook 
eye movements to a computer system, 
eye movements suddenly become very 
powerful. The computer becomes an 
interface to the world", he says. 

With Warwick Smith, the unit hard- 
ware specialist, Anderson has already 
helped design a computer game which 
can be controlled by tensing a muscle. 
Input from the electrical activities in 
the muscles is fed through an A/D 
converter into a microprocessor and the 
muscle signals control the position of 
the cursor moving through a maze. The 
system is being used by a physical 
therapist to encourage injured or dis- 
abled children to exercise muscles 
which would atrophy if they are not 
used. 

Ultimately, Anderson expects to 
move away from the Sinclair for his 
experiments, switching to his own sys- 
tem. His plan is to put the games 
software into a ROM chip and have 
another on-board ROM for storing the 
responses his subjects will make. That 
information will be dumped into a Sir- 
ius microcomputer for analysis. 

For now, the Spectrum and Manic 
Miner are occupying much of his time. 
After all, he still has eight more screens 
to figure out. 



It takes a long time to take subjects 
into the laboratory to study them, so 
Anderson is looking to Sinclair users 
for some help. If you are an 'expert' 
games player, or even if you play 
only from time to time, he would like 
to hear from you, If you send him a 
postcard, he will send you a stamped 
return envelope and a questionnaire- 
Trie results of the questionnaire 
will be used to classify some of the 
more popular computer games into 
the categories Anderson is planning 
to study. Write to: Michael Ander- 
son, Cognitive Development Unit, 
17 Gordon Street, London WC1H 
OAH. 



SINCLAIR USER September S994 



111 




ABF 



/UMMER 



MAIL ORDER ONLY 

/AVIMG/ 



Programmable Interface 




Ttla AGf ProgrammaMi JoylliEk <nL*i1«* hJS mublalwd UHll ovar Ihc 
part vm at b*«ig the only hMilynWa programmed UdviM ffcal aCCtyll At *■ 
iTjndir.l laviticki ul tritknalb - «l»cludmg Quicfc*or It Wilifi Tipid lira' 
for u* wifli Al-t SpectTuni or ZX81 hjHhiw* 

Th» hardware programming mellHW nmplnvad by Ihu n™JucC "as Wnsrjl 
Kfr«nia#H "Mr Urmlaf miarlicD ltd! r*Huira antra UpM 10 baj loadad or 
CQmbmaliw* a< k»y prreoi ind mrwarnaTtB- or lh* joywtic* lo bi mjdt 
belQi* wch game, i.r 

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> c,glM diraclionnl eunrrDl only nfrqul*** aal1ir>o. d1 thr lout imrmil 
diractionk 

• Compatibility »jar*ntaad mlh ALL k»y reading «netliw!« machine 
code and BASIC. 

• 5ivc.nl ipiltflacK can ba wparitalv p»«fimmfd lor mulppMywr 
•onwire 

• Low p«*ar four i.e. dBUBfl allow™ mart e«n*rei,an 

Tin proy«timn» iaadi nlticrwd H **» intellse* m«ki aNVtaxa with 
miniature CIlTOOflll* ctip* lh*r gin«- l » I O » 1PWnn fr>» connect. o«»l *wy lime, 
-jnliki plug JO* WCkaj arrangcmentl. and Ihry dah'T *™rk loo* ■ 
onAitanl iric. 

Keyboard pporMion ii uniMseHrf try Una inrerlK* and i1 il gumniiad 
Finn 1* cnnHfict with ANf other addo** 

12 month inmiK kay pt»grimtn*fj chart and a pack of tan Ou*K 
Rrinna Programmin9«rtti With full inainienom ireiupplled 



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a7S*1 



OVERSEAS PRICES ON APPLICATION 
DEALER ENQUIRIES WELCOME 



112 



SINCLAIR USER September 1W4 



INTERFACE for the ZX SPECTRUM 







ipplied with four prt-si-1 cards 

id a blank for immediate 
Be with \GF 
ProleL kempston or 
Sinclair InlnrfaceZ 
options. 

* Blank i aids ar« Infinitely 
resettahle for any key 
replication- 

' \innmatic eight direction 

cunt ml. 
' Uses no memory nr hack up suit- ware 

nol priwer dependent, 
' tocftpl&any joystick, including Quickshol II with 'rapid 

Bit' OT Irackball- 

• Sede enlry joystick socket maintains the low prulilt' 
of the sv stem, 

■ Recessed Computer Reset button tor -** »g 

clearing ma chine code garni** 
without pulling the power plug, 
m power design - up to five P 



rtiinjHuiiuiil}i|iu:i rmi i ■•!■ 

i Ifdhnu machine code game 
without pulling the power plus, 
m power design - up to five Protocol 
4'scan h* simultaneously connected 
Uu multiple i nutnu applications - on 

isible with the hardware 
prnRramniiHt design appro a i h. 
* Full v guaranteed for 1 H months. 

DONT SETTLE FOR LESS . . . 
CHOOSE AGF 



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F «fi l« CT H , s5E x ran 9B* # J* J5*5. 

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UNIVERSITIES 
t University of Leicester. Department 

pt Psychology 
p The Hnance * Estates Officer. 

University College of Swansea 

■ University of East Anglia. School of 
H to logical Science 

■ We*HWd College, University of 
London 

• Weultlekl College, Department of 
Zoology, University of London 

e> School ot Physics. University of 
Newcastle upon Tyne 

• Oxford University Compute 
SWlM 

• The university of Warwick 

« UnrwrsJfry of Aberdeen, Department 

or Geography 

• The University of Sussex 

• University of Bristol 

• Heriot-Watt University Dept- of Civil 
Engineering 

f) The New Unlveraity of Ulster 

• The University Of Sirathclyde 

• The University of Southampton 

• University ot Liverpool 

• The University ot Aston In 
Birmingham 

• University ot Keel* 

• University of Surrey 

• Umvefslty College of London 
9 The University of Dundee, 

Microcomputer Centre 

POLYTECHNICS 

• Thame* Polytechnic 
■ Polytechnic or' the South Sank 

• Coventry {Lanchester} Poly 

• Oept of Applied Chemistry Coventry 
(Lanchester} Poly 

• Newcastle upon Tyne Poty 
« Itonchester Polytechnic 

• Hatfield Polytechnic Oept. of 

Psychology 

• The Polytechnic 

• Leeds. Polytechnic 
a) Kiriqs!CftPoiytect«nic 

• CKy of Ofctninghani Poly* 
*) Alddicse* Pdlykachnic 

• pYrnouttiFelytechniis 

• Ports moulh Poiytectnlc 

• Uiilaf Polytechnic 

• Liverpool Poh/technie 

COLLEGES 

• Chelsea College, University of 
London 

• Guildford C,C- rjf Technology 

• Kings Cottage London 

• Unlveraiiy College ol Swansea 

• Statistics Department. Ccintputef 
Centre Bmldaig, University College 
ot Swansea 

*j Nana Collegia, Computer Service* 

• Can* ridges Ulna College ol Art* and 
Technology 

#> London Borough of Havering The 
principal Havering rechnwal 
College 

• Blackpool and Fytde College 

• jordanhlll College of Education 

• Bromley College of Technology 

• Oulidford County College of 
Technology 

• Kilmarnock Cottage 

• Wearaide College ot F. Education 

• Weerstds College of F.Eduearrlon, 

' of Electrical A Mining 
.. Newark TC ScbuOt'Coltoge 

• National Co*ege of Agricultural 
Engines nng 

I & UK ley Community 




Art M 

-I 





OoktomHh* College 

Cortege of Arts * Technology 

Head Craft, Design A Tech. 

Souih London College 

St Columbus Collage 

Robert Gordon's Institute of 

Technology 

Chelmer institute of Higher 

Education 

Southward College, Matha, Physics 

Department 

Newark Technical College 

MalkKk College of Higher Education 



Wakefield District College 

Bemsley College Ol Technology 

The College of St. Paul A St. Mary 

Thanet Technical College 

BaHymene Tec h nfcal Cortege 

Cannock Chase Technical Coilegi 

Lancaster A Morecambe Collage < 

furih^f Education 

Uxtor idge Technical College 

Mew College Durham 

8sth College ot higher Ecmeatio 

North Treftord Collega 

Dept- of Educational Resources 

Southampton College of Higher 

Education 

Bournemouth and Pool* College of 

Further Education ^T 

Harrow Collage Of Higher Education 

Souihail Cottage or Technology 

Shireclrrfe College 

Southwark College 

OewsDury A Bsttay Technical a 

College 

Tresham Collega ^A 

Ware Collega ^fcSjfSfH ■ 

Thurrock Technical Collage 

Chickiade College, Dept Science A 

Technology 

Redbrtdoe Technical 

South Thames Collage 

Vork College of Art* A Tech 

Somerset college of Arte & 

Technology 

Borough of Traftord. North Trarfford 

College ^l 

North Trsttord Collage 

Thurrock Technical 
• Thurrock Technical Collega, 

Computer Department 
i Falrham Community College 
i Mid College of Higher A Further 

Education 
i East Ham College of Technology 

i Saakt-Hayne College 
I Homerton College *Sbbj| 
Uxbridge Technical College 
North Oxfordshire Technical Cofloge 
A School of Art 

Eating College of Higher Education 
Welsh National School at Medicine 
Lord Mayor Tratoar College 
South Ea»t London Collage 
Farnbo rough (Sixth Form) Cottage 
Wigstofi Cottage of Firrther 
Education 'Annex' 
Strode s College 
Dundee College of Education 
lata of Wight College of Arts and 
T "ChnOlOgy 

Kendal College or Further Education 
Wigan College of Technology 
Chippenham Technical Colli 
South Oewo Coltega of Arts 
Technology 

South ttiWds Marine A Techn 
College 








" M 




a 
a 
* 



SCHOOLS 

Camborne Sclwot ot Mir 
Longton High School 
Berry Hill High School 
Camborne School of Mines 
Management Department 
School of Physlci 
Queen Philippe's School 
Carter Lodge School 
AahJtaM School 
AH Hallows School 
Mead Vale Primary School 
Vincent Thompson Hiqh : 
St- Aubyn'a School 
imberhome School 

Newharn School lor the 1 

Dortan School 

Beaumont School 

Bitterlcay School 

Exeter School Computer 

Department 

Clarendon School 

The Lavlnia Norfolk Unit 

St. John's C oi E Primary School 

St. Peter's High School 

Hock Ferry High, School 

Stoke on Trent Language Centre 

Cotvneh's Quay High School 

Buckhurst Hill County High SchooS 




Harlington Upper School 
Heath Comprehensive School 
The High School Ballynahlnch 
Bishop Hedtay High School 
Clwyd Lee School 
Monks Dyke High School 
King Edwards School, Bath 
The GodoipWn * Latftaer School 
Frances Bardsley School 
Shaw House Comprehensive 
New Parka School 
SL Paul's Way School 
Larkman Middle School 
Huahcroh High School 
Training and Educ. Management 
High Omen School 
Ogmore Comprehensive School 
Brakenhale School 
Oxford Intern ationa I Sualneaa 
School M 

H amp stead School 

GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS 
Hertfordshire Couniy Council 
Advisory unit for Computers 
Leicestershire County Council 
The Director ot Finance A 
Administration, Cambridgeshire 
County Council 

National Institute for Medical 
Research — 

Department of the Environment 
Ouiidirtg Research EetabVshment 
Kent County Couneil Education 
Oepartmant K^ 

MinlHtry of Defence ^L 
Basildon Council Accounts 
Department 
Department ot Trade 
Devon County Council Committee, 
Department of Electrical Eng, 
College of Further Education 
Strathclyde Regional Council, 
County Borough of Sunderland 
Kent County Council 
Nottinghamshire County Counc 
BaaMdon District Council 
City Of Newcastle upon Tyne 
EdvcsDon Commhtee 
Hampshire County Council 
Buckinghamshire COuniy Cou 
Education Services 
Cambridgeshire Education 
Committee 

Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead 
Cleveland Education Committee, 
Guisborough Teachers Centre 
Metropolitan Borough ol Rochdale, 
Education and Training Centre 
Lelcesterahire Education Committee 
Department ot Industry A Trade 
Leicester Info Tech, Centre 
Solihull Education Department 
Manpoe/er Services Commls: 
Training Services Division 
Skill Cent"* Training Agency 
Powye County Council 
information Technology Centre 
East Berkshire Health Authority 
Devon County Council Ed. Comm 
Mid Surrey Health Authority 
Epeom District Hospital 
Scottish Council tor Educational 
Technology 
Cta/yd County Council 
Norfolk Education Committee 
Agricultural A Food Research 
Council 

Mid Gtamoegan County Council 
Education Depart ment 
K.eni County Supplies Centra 
London Borough of Bamet 
Waat Midlands Regional Heatth 
Authority 

Scottish Community Eouca 
Council 

The Scottish Adult Basic Education 
Unit 

Birmingham Social Services 
Microelectronics Education 
Progftms 

Greater London Council 
Doncaster Metropolitan Borough 
Council 

United Kingdom Atomic Energy 
Authority 




4 



Blffl 

uon ^^L 



COMPANIES 

Cambridge Applied Micros 

Slrton Computer Systems 

A h *uranee Sun Life Court 

Rudala A Associates 

Computer Services 

Laser Systems Ltd 

N.tiHjnal Physical Laboreioty 

Central Trade Exchange Ltd 

Software Invasion 

Argonaut Systems 

integral Ltd 

British Telecommunication* 

B.T. Research Labs Accounts 

Windsor Wine Supplies 

Janneriow Ltd 

Ibbotson* Design Software 

HC.CS. Associstion Ltd 

Molspin Ltd 

Fisons Phermaceutlcaia, 

PharmflCOUlical Division 

information Technology Marketing 

Steele Micro systems Ltd 

The Television Centre 

Education a Microtech Unit 

British Telecom Enterprises 

Display Distribution Ltd 

Northern Gat 

Spencer Source Trading 

BBC Publications 

M.S. Slmnett Computers Ltd 

Rosville Timothy Ltd 

U.E Etecbwtcla 

Hcrostote 

Eastern Region Into. Centre 

The Video Palace 

Laser Creations Ltd 

LesermaUon 

Custom Video Produciione 

BBC TV South 

Kallogg Company of Great Bfttaln 

Ltd 

The British Library 

Walter Computer Systems 

Standard Telecommunicaltons 

LflbOflftorles Lld^^^r^ 

Granada Computer Sefeices Lid 

AppnerJ Sy stem* Know ledge LM 

Cipher Systems srn| 

ComfnunicAttOfis Ltd 

Cogweli. Comic k Asaoclates 

Ashneid Projeci Centre 

Andrew Shyts A Son Ltd 

ACOni soft 

Robot Technology Ltd 

British Shipbuilders (Training, Ed i 

Safety) Ltd 

Boston Computers Handeleoas 

Flaher Contror^ Ltd 

1 imejt Corporation 

Robot Taehno logy Ltd 

United Wngdo v Atomic: Energy 

Authority 

British AarOepa.ce Public Ltri 

Salam Qnup Ltd 

Plessey AvtecKCS A Oomm. 

Elite Sohsrare Co Ltd 

Computer Advisory i 

ChelmeMnsiiitde 

Irrtec (|n-erclyda} Ltd 

Universal Sonar Ltd 

Digital Equipment Scotland Ltd 

Edward Davles Chemical Labs. 

Pyramid Services Ltd 

Philip* Research Laboratories 

Kingaway-Princeton Cottage 

MieroOTjnli S-A.R.L 

Thomas Law Aasoclasaa 

Transvtdeo Producuona Ltd 

Daah Etactricai A Electro nie 

Services 
i Aaken Engineering 

The Electricity Council 
riiptych Publishing Ltd 
i IX Data 
i Octocon Data P^. 

i North Wales Newspapers Ltd 

t ianaaen Pftar mas 
I National Coal Bt 
I FiveWayaSoftw? 
I EdetaLtd 

I John Elmer Cfhoe I 

II Mlcronet 
Central Electricity Geiienrttno Board 
Guernsey Computer* LM 
Cumh Computer Components Ltd 








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for sine fair spectrum . . . Drawing Mo the future! 





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BRITISH MICROr 

STARTING Ul 

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AS MANY USES AS YOU CAN IMAGINE 

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* Dealer inquiries welcomed 

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OWTOQflDER 
BY TELEPHONE: <M23) 48222 

l >::.i.|'f-,n" An <"■: IT I '):■>■■■■■ 

Barclaycard Diners dub or Access CwJ 
Holder stmpty telaohone u& □•■vtng your 
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Post to: BRITISH MICRO, UNIT Q2, PENFOLD WORKS, IMPERIAL 
WAY, WATFORD, HERTS- WD24YY. 

Pla-ase send meGRAFPADIor . SINCLAIR SPECTRUM 
D BBC MODEL B DCOMMODOHE EH 
HyOu rMjuife details oMhe abo« 



BRITISH MICRO 

AHEGOTRON GROUP COMPANY 



Qlv, 



Item 



Gralpael Complele 



E* VAT 



£12500 El*3 75 



IX.UAT 



Umi 02, Penlold works, 

Imperial Way, Watford, HEFTS WD2 4YY 

TEL (0933148222 TELEX: 94SQ24 




Tomi 



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tiNQUfflEABouraec version. 



Postage. Packing A Insurance 

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I preler to pay with my American Express, Barclayeard, Diners Cluh, 

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Address at>0v* my 51 t>a the same as Card Holder 




"Ziggy turned, his fingers clutching the trigger of his capsule gun, 
something had startled him or had it? 

He looked back, he had grown very tired from his many exploits in 
\ THE PYRAMID negotiating 120 different chambers and coming face to 
face witi^fcBe pretty nasty aliens. 

No sO^m than he had accomplished this mission, he was 
summoned tOTime Lord Hamilton [known as Super Ham to his friends) to 
3 to DOOMSbAY CASTLE and to save the Universe from the infinitely 
f\\ Scarthaxfthis being no small task took several megayears. By this time 
Ziggy was completely exhausted, his capsule battered, dented and 
wobbling as he limps in the direction of home, a'real super 
hero of our time. Unable to leave the Universe undefended 
he radioed his great friend and colleague Beaky on the 
ifanet of Crackit to stand guard until his return. 



Beaky would normally assume this role without 
a second thought, however he had his own problems 
to face for the dreaded Eggsnatchers had returned 
to threaten the very existence of his breed. Beaky "s survival instincts do not 
allow him to leave Crackit until he has reared enough chicks to fight off the 

Eggsnatchers. In order to crack it, he must pass 

through 12 different stages each getting 
progressively harder. 

So we have it, Ziggy returning home 
for a complete refit under the illusion 
that Beaky is defending the Universe 
surely it can't take Beaky that io 
to secure his own species 
and when will 
Ziggy be 
back.....?" 








SPECTRUM 48K:- COMMODORE 64K:- 

The Pyramid £5 50 The Pyramid £6 50 

Beaky & The Eggsnatchers £550 Beaky & The Eggsnatchers 
Doomsday Castle £6 50 Disc Versions £9 50 



Available from all good software outlet 



FANTASY SOFTWARE, 
Fauconberg Lodge, 27A St., George s Road. 
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire 
Telephone [0242} 58336! 

Trade enquiries welcome. 



Mind Games = 



The incredible Hulk fails to move Quentin Heath 

The jolly green 

here 



giant is 

The release of The Hulk, for the 
4SK Spectrum, marks the cul- 
mination of several months of 
collaborative effort between Marvel 
Comics and Scott Adam's UK company 
Adventure International. 

The graphics adventure, which has a 
screen format almost identical to that of 
The Hobbit, features Marvel superber- 
oes and villains such as The Hulk, Dr 
Strange and The Chief Examiner. It is 
Marvel's first venture into the world of 
microcomputer software and it is doubt- 
ful whether it would have made an 
ciitrv if publisher Stan Lee and Scott 
Adams had not formed a team dedicated 
to producing a series of games baaed on 
comic characters. 

Both men have been innovators in 
their heydays. Lee almost single-han- 
dedly created the comic market in Brit- 
ain and created many of the Marvel 
heroes, Scott Adams is the man who 
invented the microcomputer-based ad- 
venture game. He was behind the first 
commercial adventure to be launched, 
Adventureland, and has most of the 
responsibility for bringing The Hulk to 
the small computer screen. The game 
uses the classic Adams textual style , 
which he took from the larger main- 
frame adven tureSjj combined with 
graphics which are drawn at a speed 
which rivals The Hobbit. 

The graphics routines may be inno- 
vative but the text translator routines 
which decode the player's instructions 
to the computer are simplistic and 
crude. They allow only the use of a verb 
and noun structure which means only 
one instruction at a time can be typed 
into the machine and all commands 
must conform to the same format. 

The program will only understand 
words which are relevant to a particular 
location and will ignore aJl others, send- 
ing an error message to the player with 
apologies for its ignorance. That puts 
user- friendliness right out of the win- 
dow and makes the player feel as though 
the game was written in the stone age of 
computing. 

If Adams had been limited for mem- 
ory space within the program he should 



have put to one side the detailed pic- 
tures which emulate The Hobbit and 
instead worked on the translator so that 
it could handle multiple phrases within 
sentences coupled by conjunctions. 
Such techniques might have been inno- 
vative six or seven years ago, when 
Adams first started writing games, but 
in [he British market today they are old 
hat. 

The story involves Dr David Banner 
and his alter-ego The Hulk in a quest to 
find the Bio-Gem, an orb of energy with 
fantastic powers, While trying to ac- 
complish his quest Banner must collect 
several ordinary gems. Finding and 
placing the gems is the main method of 
scoring in The Hulk and you are not 
given a logical reason for so doing. The 
same is true of the character motivation 
within the game. Unlike many of the 
classic adventures, created by such com- 
panies as Level Nine Computing and 
Digital Fantasia, the characters within 
The Hulk are not given any motivation 
apart from an allegiance with either 
good or evil. 

The total lack of character realisation 
produces cardboard cutouts which you 
will not find even in the comic books, I 
those publications the heroes try to lead 
ordinary lives, such as Peter Parker who 
as well as being Spiderman also leads a 
more mundane life as a newspaper pho- 
tographer. In the comics characters 
worry about money, the level of crime 
in society and even where their next 
meal is coming from. 

The Hulk adventure, however, takes 
none of those factors into the storyline 
and so the player tends not to feel any 
attachment to hero or villain. The Hulk 
would have been an excellent opportu- 
nity for Stan Lee's brand of super- 
human drama. 



HINTS AND TIPS 

Becoming the Hulk can be a biting 

problem , 

The Chief Examiner will tell you 

where you are. 

The power of the egg can destroy 

all but The Hulk. 

Take Strange at his word. 



While the characters are uninterest- 
ing the plot is too inventive. The au- 
thors have taken great leaps and 
expected the player to follow. For in- 
stance, The Hulk creature is an integral 
part of the adventure and helps Banner 
to get out of most of the tight spots- The 
player, however, will either have to be 
clairvoyant or pay attention to all the 
examples in the instruction booklet to 
find the one way in which Banner can 
turn into this alter-ego. 

If you are a gamer who does not want 
to look at the help sheets supplied with 
the game to solve the adventure then 
you are likely to be disappointed with 
The Hulk, unless you have a power of 
deduction which borders on ESP* 

Most adventure writers leave 
'plants', or objects which aid under- 
standing, at every location. Adams does 
not bother with that and you move 
suddenly from open fields to an under- 
ground enclosure without entering a 
dome or going through a tunnel. Any 
map-making techniques, which have 
been started when the player is trans- 
ported, will become useless and a new 
strategy will have to be formed. 

Adams seems to be in a time warp. 
He is still writing for the 1970s and 
does not seem to be aware of the latest 
advances in adventure writing tech- 
niques. 

The Hulk will sell but not because of 
its technical excellence. Marvel has put 
so much commercial hype behind I he 
product that anyone enticed 
by superheroes will buy it. 
( 'fhat is a pity as there is too 
much hype in the market 
1 1 ready and the new Marvel 
adventures onlv add to it. 




AIR USER September 1M4 




Z80/6502 Fanatics Required 
4.000- 11,000 

If assembler is your forte and you can'l keep your hands off 
computers, we need you! 

Beebugsoft - the software house of BEEBUG 
PUBLICATIONS LTD has a number of full-time vacancies 
for young persons willi assembler expertise to join a young 
and enthusiastic programming team Work will be varied and 
wherever possible reflect the interests of the applicant. 

Applications should be made to the address below and 
should include a curriculum vitae, exam pies or your work on 
cassette or disc and the names of two referees. 

The Software Manager 
Beebugsoft Ltd 
PO Box 50 
St. Albans 
Herts. 



Cornhill 



Services 



Hart! and Software's Famous 
FOOTBALL POOLS PROGRAM 

'This program lists out, in order of preference, the sixteen 
moat likely score-draws' also the sixteen most likelv homes, 
draws {including O 0) and awavs. For each forecast, it will 
also give you the probability thai the forecast is GOfnftCI 

■ It picks out the results on the bookmakers' FIXED ODDS 
coupons that have been given over -generous odds. It calcu 
lates your expected profit! 

*The program will be initialised to the English and Scottish 
league tables Vou will be able to update these league tables 
week by week as results come in - or enter a complete new 
set of league tables, You will then be able to save the new 
league tables on another cassette; in other words the pro- 
gram will neve-f become "out of date" 

" Australian pools in the summer? No problem! Ygu will be able 
to alter the built in team names, and save them on another 
cassette, 

* Advanced probability theory is used to make all forecasts 
no guesswork or random numbers, A brief descriptor* of the 
theory is contained within the instruction leaflet Only top 
quality cassettes are used - Sony or TDK. 

"t HA VE SEEN THE O THER PROGRAMS WHICH A FRIEND OF 
MINE HAS BUT t LIKE YOUR PROGRAMS THE BES T, I HA VE 
USED IT ON THE POOLS SEVERAL TIMES, AND I HA VE BEEN 
VERY NEAR TO THE BIG QWIDEND. " Mr J. O ., London N21 . 

This program will not cost you a fortune either! It is available 
for the ZX81 f 1 6KJ and the ZX Spectrum i4QK| for just E6-95, 
including postage & packing, from: 

IDEPT. S), 32 IVOR PLACE, 
LONDON NW1 6DA 



moans df 

This exciting three part 
adventure game takes 
place among the Moons 
of Tantalus. Only you are 
left to save the mining city, 

its defences destroyed by raiders. See the breathtaking 
views ol the moon's surface and the terrifying spectacle of 
the attacking enemy fighters. If you succeed in refuelling , 
the only surviving freighter, watch the realistic tilt-off. 
Search for the enemy base hidden on one of the other moons 
as you defend yourself against severe bombardment. Find it, 
but can you destroy it before you are shot down by one of • 
their missiles? 100% machine coded for fast action ; 

and superb graphics. 

This fantastic game only E6.4S from: 

CORNHILL SERVICES, 2 PENRITH WAY, - .... - 
AYLESBURY, BUCKS HP21 7JE . ; ^ . . ■ / 

ZX Spectrum 48K - 





m 



SINCLAIR L'SEK Septtmber 19H4 




Commodore 64 and 



.■^jar-ass* 1 ;^sa«-— 

Syp^cr«S33,Q has been developed to D"ng you the strongas'.CftftSS program yet lor 

^At^lou^rr^Uevel Suparcness 3.0 has a look ahead of five io sm*n piy 
mural ■" '"w middle Game, and ten to twelve ply in Ihe end game. This gives 
Suoerchess 30 a substantial advantage agains! other tness programs anrj 
as the enperienesd player an interesting am) challenging game of chess 
Unlike olrw chess programs. Supstcriess 3.0 is not lust a btute^force ca culdlc-r. 
Out employs arilticiaJ intelligence techniques lo allow rjefipe' searching along the 
mln lines d play 

FEATURES: 

■ '0 le*fiis — "I I pi^y within iou*na"»eni lin 
nmn» 

• Fir»l ln«ei made especially easy 'or beginners 

• f a5 j io ale — help mtnuc pmu-ichri 

• faKWnnnnilsd mfl«* oplion 

• Ch»rtg* sm3b» and level during g*me 

• 5*11 play mod* 

■ <*: ufhicruang* pu*"l-o" 
» T«(mktai inlnrm*1ion— how ift= pron/am 

iniifcr*' 

• pTOflran.'s internal scun F« position 
display ad 

• Numtui o1 evil Wind fMSilums displayed 

• L'trary 01 Opening mowflfi 

• Seieci you< own caicuji sc nerr>B '£» 
grjpiMc board display 

• Sab* mal>ng pcd&itrns— up is male in- tnui 



Triable ic any SPECTH__ 



[C^j software , 



Superb, colourful last-action 
graphics and sound gilire this 
game the (eel ol a real arcade 
pin table. Realistic launch, 
Nippers, bumpers, high-score, 
bonus scores and freeball 
features.. Be a Wizard! 

". . . f ffWLrfll r rhar a few /Timules 
wOitKS sutdce. and then found Jflsf a 
couple ol flours fisti passed and i i*a-s 
still at It Excellent. . Pinttall Wizard 
ttas II made. " CHASM MAGAZINE 

"A brilliant rtfee that's rofafrp 
absorbing and sd srWcr/Ve. 

YOUR SPECTRUM 



1 XAtfl Mfc UX 

x«h rwAri 

toiCommodo'il 




|^B^*""^^^^T /our SPECTRUM 

DMH«-the proyram shuiries, deal? and sorts the cards lo produce randomly dealt 
rSd?V almost infinite number or hands are iherelore possible, •»•» all tan* oi 
distributions _^ . --^ 

B«l*na-i5 >n tne lajniliar ACOL system, including Stayman and Blackwood 
mvtmun.iV You frid your hand while in* Spectrum bids the eltw Ihree tia-nds . 
Cird Plav-vOu clay horn your own and (tummy's hands, which are displayed as 
■h'™*--" Id be a1 me bndgo table . wild the program playing, the other two hands 
Seorliw-at Ine #nrj of each hand the score is calculated, including honours, slam 
a- rubber point* Both the Old and new scores ar# displayed in the usual manner 
Malay -ai 'he end ol each hand, all lour hands can be displayed and. it desired, the 
hand replayed 



48K SPECTRUM 
BRIDGE PLAYER— £8.95 

An ideal complement lo ihe Bridg* 

Plays* - Program 

Bridge Tutor (Beginners)— tS.95 

Bridoa Tutor (Advanced)— £5.»5 



SPECIAL OFFER: 

Bridge Player and both 
Bridge Tutors— E1 8. 95 




BRIDGE PLAYER 

[mj software I 



120 ROUTINES- 

Ttii s i s the Ult i male spectrum Tool kit , with 1 20 Slate of I he An M ac h i ne Code 
Routines for use in. Or with, your own BASIC programs! Supercede II needs 
no pri or knowledge Of Machine Code to operate . H you have a ZX M i c* od n ye 
you can Iransf er Supe rcode 1 1 lo M i crodrive a s easy as i -2-3 ...if you do not, all 
theGthBrfeature&of Supercede II still work. 

* Unique Access Program lels you Index, List, Teal. Tailor, Relocate and 
Save (to Tape or M I c rodrive . with or ig i nal or ne* name) + Verify f ou 1 1 nes , al I 
under software control. ^Options include Exampie/Repea'rJump.iAgaln.i 
ContfDemorOiaflnosisJTfr. * See each routine work— all details onscreen 

* Supplied boxadwilh Comptehensive User Manual. * Guaranteed tastesl 
and s-hortesl rout i nes lor every appl tc ation ! 

H-j.lr*. includ. TH*C£ M* VamblB Prfl(|r»fn Sp»Ji ON EHFIOH GOTO OH BMEAK 5010 FW-L 
HENUMBFP IDms n-mihrno'l-WftniABLE U5T SffllNG St*f»GH SlfUNG HCPtACl P*INT FILL* 
SuPFflB PHOGRAMMAflif SOUND EFFfCts BfCOM^WEfLAt BMJUDAWSlC cCHrfuSE. 
UNCONFVS* LISTING FEMHILL PfWJGRAH CON1MCPEXPANO. PftofiRAM*NALir!.F 1-JMSEB -V*L 
JOOUPBESS CHARACtER SWOPiSCR»MeLEJINVERTfflEVEn5*«lT*TE- WfOLE NLVD LMXRAC-rEn 
BET (Scj.Fib FLASH +BPJ6HT ON.OFFrSWTJP MEMOFIir FREE r-RQGfiAr* LENGTH BLQCk Ll*+E * 
MEHOFIY feftaSSJFlLUCOPV APPttlDCuflSOfl SCfiEEN 5AVEJLO»»s«rO*W E RG&T iL^t*flGH HEJ| 
-DBC + OeC— HEX CONV(fllfB& REMFILL 0*TAflLL QSID INK * PftPEH CHANUt ■ ATTRIBUTE 
SWORFILLUNVEPT.'RESET TAPE HEAD afAOER PROGeAM PFrtSIECT PHOGFAH Bn l* R ' H 
SSbEHI FSSF1LECHCATE WUtORUNCOM PFtOGRAM AS CODE TA«CORlEHDEFEA1 HtOBODBVE 
D1AGHOSIS FAST LOAD HHaWORlvE SUWE SAVE MlCBOLWIVF. A&APT TO WCflOORlvE 5UBE 
^05EMSlRir*GS*PROriHAM CASE CMUNQtMOC HE* IOAOER ANALTSE M6MOR* LINE 
ADDRESS STilRDRAW FREE SCROLLEF-M LINE PHIWTlHfl LOWEH 5CPEKN CLS *fEW 
LBW PFK5tft»MMABLE BOROER EFFECTS REMOVE OOLOU* "fTHXSIfUSLJ2f!i»S *r2 

SCFK5LL pmELSrCHAHAtlEfiSfATTRiBUTeS. SlMGHf OR JOINILT UPIDDWWLEFTJRIGMT JVITH OR 
wrTHOgf WRAP AROlrNLJ It* A USEB DEFINEO VrtNDOW Of AFjy S4ZE PQSITION&P ANVWNERE OH THE 

CAEEN J rtfliMimi.iiHighrftaM H i Un trit»»— It . 

Supercbde II has many many imitators — but no equals! 
SUPERCQDEII — £9.95 



Available a1 mo&l good computer atores. 

Mu u tnv . SendSAEIrwCalalogue 

UK— prices include VAT and postage & packing 

ALL OTHER P d tAC D E^-r > or°air'ma 1 l add E2 tor Ihe Fust prog raff anrj 50p l« 
«*ch subsequenl prug,ram Surlace deli wry add 80p per proflram. 

Send Cheque. P0*ta" Oder or Access No Io: 
CP SOFTWAHE. D*pt SU3 
2 Glebe Road. U Abridge 
Middlesex UB8 3RD 



software I 



DEALER ENQUIRIES 

0895 315 



Plu* tor 48K Spectrum unless otherwise, staled: 

FLOATING POINT FORTH with EDlTQH I13.SS 

INTEQER FORTH 

SUP ERC HESS II 

SUPERCH ESS 1 1 leK ZKB1 1 

1 6K SUPE AC HESS 1.1 5K Specl rum) 

R EVE RSI 

$P£C)At OFFEfl.- 

LOS0 and FLOATING POINT FORTH 

BUPEftCODEeiVlEXTEHDEO BASIC 

DRAUG HTS and SAC Kr.AMMO N 

VAHTZEE 



ti 95 
E4.9S 

1 IT' 

(%.9S 

L6B'i 

T20 9b 

El? 95 

C995 

E4 95 



SUPEBCHESSIHLynti f * 9i 

SUPERCHeSSlllJupile'Atcf M.9S 
PIHBALL WIZARD 

i*HK.Spoc!»um) CS.I6 

PIN BALL WIZAR0 

(Commodore 64 1 
DRAUGHTS 
BACKGAMMON 

SNAIL LOGO (Tuf He Graphics, E9.PS 
GOLFINGWORID 
SPECTRUM EXTENDED BASIC W » 



WANTED: 

Interesting- programs lor Spectrum, 
Commodore 64 and QL 



French iransl^nons gvnilat>le from 

SEMAPHORE 

CH 12B3 LA PLAIHE. Geneve. Switzerland 



■ 




SLKCI-A1R USER September tm 



11") 



The Software. 




S QY 



■ i 



4 




The Hardware. 



x\s&* 



MS& 



^VK*.^ 



^^^ 



S 





GRAPHICS 
THE 



PROGRAMMING MADE EASY- 
PRINT 'NT PLOTTER WAY! 



PRLSTW PLOTTER 

PAINTBOX 

. Superb Graphics 
without expensive hardware! 



PAINTBOX gives the 48 K Spectrum 
owner every facility to product excellent 
graphics — easily, quickly and 
professionally. 

There's no need for expensive 
hardware PAINTBOX is flexible, precise 
and incredibly simple to use! 

Just take a look at some of the 
facilities available: 

UPC EDITOR 

The facility to define up to 84 

graphics characters which can be stored in 
vtiur BASIC programs for instant recall 
from its own built-in machine code! 

L'DG DRAWING BOARD 

L'DG planner for the 4 banks of 
characters. Facilities include: MIRROR 
UMME, ROTATE. INVERSE. FILE, 
SKETCHPAD 

Experimentation 'window" that 
$ws you to try-out your L1DG ideas under 
development. 
PHfiClSH >X PLOTTER 

Amazing versatile high-resolution 
drawing hoard which includes PAPER 
choice, PLOT, DRAW, DRAW 
RADIALLY, CIRCLE, ARC. OVER, 
FILL, instant change of INK and BRIGHT. 
mulfrlunctton ERASE and STORE. 

Cursor is controlled by keyboard or 
lick with FAST, SLOW, and Cursor size 
ckii 
SCREEN PLANNER 

For the best of both worlds! 
PRECISION PLOTTER and UDG 
CHARACTERS! For complete screen 
planning of graphics. A multi-purpose 
facility to enable you to produce superb 
screen graphics! 

All results can be sent to a printer, 
saved as SCREENS or SAVED as CODE 
with its built-in machine code routine for 
instant recall from BASIC 

The program is complete with a 
cassette demo and a 28 page booklet 
describing in easy-to-understand language 
how to use it, plus many tips for storing 
and using your graphics in programs. 



PRIST ;V h PLOTTER 

SCREEN MACHINE 

Instant machine code 
for graphics and text. 



more into the memory! 

It COM PILES text, graphics 
characters or UDC's instantly into machine 
code giving fast smooth access to the 

screen! 

It CREATES re-calbbk' Multiple 

Screen Files automatically with its own 

built-in machine code! 

It ENLARGES screen sections in 
2X steps! 

It REDUCES the whole screen in 

2\ steps! 

it RECOLOURS your screen 
graphics either globally or selectively! 

It MIRRORS the screen left to right 
making flip-action animation easy! 

It RELOCATES your screen graphics 
to any other part of the screen with block 
or high-resolution scrolls! 

It SUPERIM ROSES screen graphics 
giving incredible mixing' results! 

It SAVES everything to tape or 
Microdrive for use within your BASIC 
programs! 

There's no doubt that SCREEN 
MACHINE is a major graphics toolkit for 
the 48K Spectrum, It is completely menu- 
driven and comes complete with demo 
program and fully-documented instruction 
hooklet. 

Another first from Print 'n Plotter! 



PRIST X' PLOTTER 

ZX SPECTRUM JOTTER 

Pre-planning your screen 
made easy . . . and precise! 




SCREEN MACHINE is an invaluable 
graphics utility to use with PAINTBOX or 
any other graphics hardware or software! 

It gives a wide range of facilities to 
enable you to manipulate graphics and 
tai. saving time, memory and giving truly 
professional results. 

F..r instance: SCREEN MACHINE 
COMPRESSES Screen Files to cram even 



Print n' Plotter JOTTERS have 
become a household word for the Sinclair 
enthusiast. 

Despite various imitations our 
original ZX SPECTRUM JOTTER is still 
the one people prefer! 

Of course it could be because it is 
professionally produced ... the quality is 
superb. 

And the fact that it is BIG SIZE A3 
{l&k" x 11 V+") is a distinct advantage 
when working in high-resolution. 

Its also 100 pages thick. 50 pages of 
PIXXT gods showing each numbered pixel 
co-ordinate and 50 pages of PRINT grids 
showing every character and graphic 
character position and INPUT lines. 

Each page also contains 24 UDG 
planning grids (2400 per pad). 

Consider also the fact that it is 
printed on Artists Detail paper . thick 
enough to take any writing, drawing or 
rolouring, yet thin enough to overlay onto 
a drawing and trace-off 

For pre-planning graphics, text, 
tabulation or anything to produce on 
screen' a Print n Plotter JOTTER won't he 
beaten. 

The complete package comes with a 
set of coloured pens, a Pixel ruler and a 
handy corrugated storage tray. 

If you use PAINTBOX, SCREEN 
MACHINE or any other graphics utility . . . 
vriii'll do things better with the ORIGINAL 
Print n" Plotter JOTTER 1 



PRIST TV PLOTTER 

KEYBOARD OVERLAYS 

The simple answer to 
"Which key?" 

Print n' Plotter KEYBOARD 
OVERLAYS for the standard ZX Spectrum 
keyboard are the economic answer to 
"Which key does what'" 

If you program, or buy commercially- 
produced software, sooner or later you'll he 
faced with a mind-boggling mass of keys 
that perform different functions. 

This can be as simple as the "FIRE" 
button in a game or as precise as the 
analysis" button in a scientific program. 

Left face it. the Spectrum keyboard 
is complicated enough so why not take the 
easy way to remember , . , 

... lay over the keyboard a Print n 
Plotter OVERLAY and write the function 
underneath , . . it's child's play! 

Then keep the OVERLAY for the 
next time you use the program. 

Print ri Plotter KEYBOARD 
OVERLAYS come in packs of ten . 
Punched to fit your Spectrum. Priced to 
suit your pocket! 



PRIST A" PLOTTER 

ZX PRINTER PAPER 

Print n Plotter Products also 
market ZX PRINTER PAPER that gives 
good, clear print, eminent feeding qualities 
— probahlv the best you'll find in the U.K. 

FAST DELIVERY and 
economically priced , , . you wont find 
better! 

" CREDlTcABtJ 24HR. ANKAPHONE 
ORDERS 

01-660 7231 

(Phone 01-403 6644 fen Deikrwdetba nmuinesj 

Post to: flei>l 8, Print 'n' Werfttr Product* Lid,, 
19 Borough Hijjji Sire* t. London SE1 9SK. 

Pk'iW send me 

. PAINTBOX" SOFTWARE # JEWS 
. . •SCREEK MAC 'MINE " SOFTWARE ft ( 
.... SPECTHUMXrrTKRPADSfflJSOO 
, . . SPECTRUM KEYBOARD OV KRLAYS©i2,95 

5 ROLLS ZX PRINTER PAPER (B £12.50 
All prices include U.K. postage and. VAT, 

I enclose remittance in full 
□ Please bill my Acces/BarctayC^iVi^Majlertiini Nil: 



I 



( r»eree» itrders please add 2S% i>n limited pric«, for 
jdiditiurial handling 



NAME. 



ADDRESS- 



I- 



L_"ttF. 



f-it 



For the Spectrum at £5-95 each. 

Available at selected branches of W.H. Smith, Boots, 

John Menzies and good com puter shops everywhere. 



[CBM 64 versions due tor release soon) 



; 1 ■ 



■ 





Extend your 16k 
Spectrum to 48k for 

just£2700. 

And get a Free 

program worth£4*50 

into the 
bargain. 




I •> 1 1 1 [ ■ i ni 1 1 ii m\ | m si t I wi | ii i- \ 2 I a niy^try to you V 1 ' I it yt >i it) Himtwrf 
dv iwi 48K Spt-ct ruin n wrs how l*> Pt : i:K iir»d POKE sysU'ms 
Wltob ies^ hiiw to nirimpulHle ihc> display file > hi h* .-let control tin- 
attributes, henh' tcifiiid out hciu. mm Ivijwirv mmimmtv i* Ml find intit h. 
much more. With t he SP48 this program i«*fT*>*>, On iis f iwn. \A.BH ►. 



SP48B, 32k Memory Extension ivith Program — £27 

The SP48 Simply ptutjs Into the sockets provided by Sinclair inside 
your Spectrum and turns your 16k machine into an absolutely standard 
48k ready to run 48k programs. 

The SP4S fits Issue 2 and Issue i Spectrums Full slep-by-step 
instructions are- provided. Fitting is easy and there is no soldering. 

The SP48 carries our full warranty and all our customers enjoy the 
benefits of our renowned product support, 

And you get a free copy of Beyond Horizons, and educational 
program which has Already enlightened thousands of 48k Spectrum 
owners about the inner workings of their computers. 

48/80 FORTH 

This compiler and editor is fast becoming recognised as the most 
professional and highest quality implementation of the FORTH language 
pn rhe Spectrum. FORTH gives you the speed of machine code without 
• the tedium of machine-code programming. 

All the Spectrum's excellent graphics commands are retained 
including DRAW. PLOT and CIRCLE Real arcade quatity sounds can be 
produced using BEEP 

More advanced FORTH programmer* will hnd that 4S/&0 FORTH 
pravides a complete implementation *->f !IG FORTH, including the 
ncauons of BUILDS, DOES and CODE 

Each 48/80 FORTH cassene mdudes a. separate FORTH editor 
i*-hn:h use? pan of RAM as if it were disk The 48K Spectrum allows a 16k 

disk', while leaving nearly 20k of dictionary space. A comprehensive 
user manual is also included, which covers both compiler and editor, and 

icid beginners Introduction 

SINCLAIR USER Sepimttxr 1984 



Extensions to 48/80 FORTH will shortly be available to existing 
customers at a nominal charge. These will include floating point arithmetic 
and microdrive handling. 

TRADE ENQUIRIES WELCOME - Are you on our brade/eKport mailing 
list? 



Alt prnducls qti this Ofd*>T form are in stock. Same day dispatch for phCHIttd Access 

and Visa orders. 

To East London Robotic* Ltd: PkaM Stfftd by return (tick items required) 



□ 
□ 



la 

I 



SP4SB (for Specrrum Issues 2 or St £27 

BEYOND HORJZON5 (4Sk> £4.50 



48/30 FORTH f48k oi 80k) £14 %_ 



Postage bfip. I enclose ft cheque/ PO lor. 



IN 



My Accc»/Viu No. Is 



Addrtfss. 



sut 



Eflsl London Robotics Limited, 5t Nicholas Houh, The Mounl Guildford. 



EAST LONDON 



Surrey GU2 5HN. 

I Orders and special enQuines 
GuiWford (04831 505605 
Tetex 8813271 iTrad* only) 



njDEDTIBS 



123 



MAKE THE MOST 

OF YOUR 

SINCLAIR. 



IMTERRKE 

PUBLICATIONS 



BETA BASIC 1.8 

ENHANCED BASIC FOB SPECTRUM 48K 

FOR GRAPHICS - STRUCTURED PROGRAMMING 

- DATA HANDLING 




I have ipac* K> do lllrt program 
<jl a l**9a B.AE far turttwr 



□ Deploring the Sinclair QL - An Introduction to 

Super BASIC „. Qfi 

Andrew Nelson "■ so 

n 49 Explosive Games for the ZX Spectrum 

TimHartnell " 3b 

n Creating Adventure Programs on the ZX Spectrum 

Peter Shaw and James Mortleman -»*» 

n Putting your Spectrum to Work 

Chris Caitender (includes a full word -processing 

program) "■"" 

D Mastering Machine Code on your ZX Spectrum 

Tom Baker ts - M0 

n Programming your ZX Spectrum 

Tim Hart nell and Dilwyn Jones "»■«> 

n Delving Deeper into your ZX Spectrum 

Dilwyn Jones "- 30 

□ Practical Applications for the Micro in the Home 

David Hole t *- 30 

n The Art of Structured Programming 

Petei Juliff & * s 

n 60 Games and Applications for the ZX Spectrum 

David Harwood "■ w * 

These books are available from most book and 
computer stores. 

Interface Publications, Dept.QSU, 

9-11 Kensington High Street, London W8 Stir 

Please send me the indicated books I enclose £ 

Name . ' 



Address 



II1TERRKE 

PUBLICATIONS 




Wre the Experts. 

rrp A nr ONLY Inierface Publjcaluans are diair ihuted exclusively in the UK and 
"SSErWB DtfrESbw Eipon trade tidied by Ir^tface^b^D^) ^ 



Raleaae I 8 it mora pcwartui then »«*<' w « dwr» 

juUki - H vou ean't befli*ve in« ed, a"™ 

inlcunetwn 

Feature* Commands are firths-entry keywords in grapWci rnodB. Syn*« ; >» 

chicled on entry Ft** compeliWa with Spectrum Bant MIcTOdtnre sompai.bla 

Comprehensive manual. 

HOTE: Ra*oa*» 1 .0 ■» (till syedeWa for 1SMBK Speemim al f 1 1 .00. 



»<- 



'iffwii «r ■pawf-cl 
AUTO •— * n*a>4winQi 
■■JIM. i*/l Of «0*t* loofu 
CLOCK ion ■" ctac* 
tufllWtMmoL CIMKt .« 
ill i<t|i tz- '-*v" "J*nBPBi ilips 
gffFlfT in» d^i-*Mi t4VI 

MM. DOT aWaaMifl 



LP*Ti\l»T taw. TC Ui# 



tCMH.4. ■*■ ■JtH.L *ui wh a m via 

FBhnd 

ffSTT ■ r*ri *"*'■> !*■' 

WHiUVni lr-M 



AJ*tP lb-maun 

■MUr dKmi iu ■»■"#■> 

CM^i ruMrta to 2 



ngP atawc i 01K* 

HUG. W PtbK. ewe ™« 

flH PeTT-*? [dsHMdwaBil 

FUNCTIONS 






DO • LOO* 

n.an pv 
purr ■*» 



(n—ai m i<i«wig 



■»"•**■ 



QMy €11 CO inekJi.yel lUpoiada prica for fliUm 1.0 owwi i» Ca.OO Thia 
includai a 15-page supplement lo ¥°uf manual PlaaM qug-tn daia ol purchaaa. n 
you did not purthaaa from vi. aiat« «jppll*t awl r«um OMQinal ca»»*rta I 



rtaaa« saitd me: . 

SalP Saaic. Ralaaaa 1.8 Paymant ol Cll.OO i» *ncloaml 

|w £11.50 for foraio^ ordars). Chaeiijea piratl* iq BET*SOFT 

I don' I brtlevo ql "a«» «"=* me full detella ol Seta Ba*^ 1 A I anctoM a Hamped 
•ddretaed anvelopa, 



NAME. 



ADDRESS 



BETAS0FT 

92 OXFORD ROAD, MOSELEY, 

BIRMINGHAM B13 9SQ 



NOW 



FTd 



SPECTCJJM 
and ZXBl 



"^Ei 



T 5. 



T HUC£ 



?»^f*££ 



Lift 



vP 



OO 



T AP£H> "&&***, 



zrizA&P* 



@&&ma \* "SSBBSSi; 



lifii'i "''■'-'"'* 



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&azih£ 



vttTX, 



tij&n** 



WlW 



m/c C0MPU&&, 



f-igylfO^^! 



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SPECIAL OFfB*{ 

ycfuiz eiftsr TWO 
tape* FftBE 

it YOif fS* TV;S CGtr&C/uf 



or tbix) El lar mW> n « * dnlwis I 
: ALEC FHV ftfl^i- FflSA tnd| 
ERN* FRIT EA 



SOFTWARE LIBRARY 




i r ue aoltvpr a dorarv la be aal up m i ha 

_„, Id —ana all 1 1 tne iarflB»i ■ Onrn/al led lap* 
jlock as^OUd Brpecl IromOurneaflBlBH ■ "W" 
bv < 16-oi1 KHivpuia* iz milllen hflaa o1 p'OB'am 
and d*ia on amkl I wilh in* help o< "" »••• * blB 0u1 
mDrBlfiBAdly mara bumanai ■ Oflan imiiaiad 
(»n>al inia) ilmoal to I hn lellar - ! lallar 1 1 ndaad ' I 
bui nevef aqyallod ■ Friendlj nei pf ul urvi« - 
ai the and ol a phcns 11 needaii ■ Ffae m*mbef»nip 
01 du-t piiosurit Club puundi all p*riphef»" and !bb- 
er-lha-chan 1ap*t ■ Any loading ppotum* (rara'f 
auiari>a(icailst<6ditBd ■ Shopno* flO«n Inem iu 
Ppai Oir.ceS if renlal and diaeount »*la* *' 'ape* * na 
oeriphefalt ■ Hfamhaj threuohoulihH*»rld 
■ Ho compiicaloJ athBme*. «o arorralnnni to 
quaMMv — rant-wha.1 and *Han rom N't* ■ Pnnled. 
Hluatrated magazina -ComputartivBf f*a» in mere 
than an* me»B lyped naw»let(ef ■ Keenam -airaf 
r»i«s ■ ACCESSftDldefacan |0in UylalapHonioft 
0JM>?3273£ ■ MO mVAL^BnolleialMhi^..^ — 

"arnham Roax3, Wes! Li«. Hants GU33BJU 



NAME...... Machlna 



ADDRESS.. 






Sp«l»l o1Ur from lh*l Hil»! LIFE MEM B I 

inofmally ES.Mh OyarjAaa I.Eu'opa nnlyh tiO, or 
julo loc-Bil Hunch m W Garmanf. Franca, HoMena 
Balaium. Scandinavia, South Airtca, Ireland —land 
mi Raply toupon artd ike' 1 1 (orwJWd youf enquiry 



SINCLAIR USER September 1984 



124 



Helpline 



Control your characters 

Andrew Hewson reveals some useful tips for programming graphics 



EACH MONTH I try to vary the 
contents of this column; some- 
times I tackle a single difficult 
topic in detail, sometimes I cover sev- 
eral related topics and sometimes I dis- 
cuss a mixed bag of ideas. The column 
this month belongs firmly in the final 
category. 

The first letter is from John Lock- 
erby of Canterbury who writes: I am 
repeatedly faced with the "Non- 
sense in Basic" error when writing 
programs for my Spectrum. It al- 
ways occurs when I try to READ 
from DATA statements. What am I 
doing wrong? 

Appendix B of the Spectrum Basic 
Programming Manual states that error 
code C — Nonsense in Basic — occurs 
wifb the VAL and VAL$ functions, not 
with the DATA or READ commands, 
so it is easy to understand John's confu- 
sion. In fact neither the error message 
nor the explanation in the manual are as 
clear as they might be, 

A few moments spent experimenting 
with the VAL and VALS functions will 
ihow that error code C occurs when the 
string on which the function operates 
cannot be evaluated; for example, the 
VAL function evaluates a string as a 
numerical expression so that 
VAL "5 + 2" = 7 
whereas both 

VAL"5 + *2" and VAL "a$" 
give error code C because in each case 
the expression within the quotes breaks 
the rules which govern the form of 
numeric expressions. Hence the ROM 
routine which is responsible for evaluat- 
ing the expression gives up in disgust 



and triggers the printing of the error 
message. 

The program in table one shows an 
example of that type of situation. Both 




r Pfeafe address problems and queries a Andrew 
Heiesvn, Helpline. Graham Clan, Bleistrvry, 
QxjaTdthirt, 

of the DATA statements in lines 10 and 
20 can be READ by the loop in lines 
1 00 to 1 30 depending on the line num- 
ber, J, selected by the user. If line 10 is 
selected the program reads each of the 
four characters in turn into the string 
variable AS and then PRlNTs it. If line 
20 is selected, however, error C occurs 
because the program attempts to read a 
numeric item into the string. 

Peter Groenewald asks: Is there a 
poke command for the 16K Spec- 
trum which causes the cursor to 
change from upper to lower case? 

That is not possible, unfortunately, 
because the letter representing the cur- 
sor — either K, L, C, E or G depending 



lu 
20 

50 

too 

120 



DATA 



B 



C 



D 



3 



1 ENTER NUMBER OF DATA LINE 
50 + 20 * C J « 10J + 20 * 



DATA 

INPUT 
GO TO 

RESTORE J 

FOR I = 1 TD 4 
READ AS 
PRINT A$ 
NEXT 1 



t J 



J 

= 20) 



Tabic 1 To demonstrate chat error cade C can occur at run-tintr when thcrr is a 
mismatch between the content* *f DATA and READ statement*. The program executes 
correcUy if DATA line 10 is selected but fait* If DATA line 2fl is selected, 



on the mode in which the machine is 
operating — is determined indirectly 
from the MODE system variable which 
is held at address 23617, The value of 
MODE is read by the cursor printing 
subroutine at address 6369 in the Spec- 
trum ROM and it then passes the ap- 
propriate character code — either 75, 
76, 67, 69 or 7 1 — to the main printing 
routine at 2548. The contents of the 
ROM cannot be changed and so it is 
impossible to change the character 
codes. It is, of course, possible to copy 
the ROM routine into RAM and modi- 
fy it but it is not possible to return the 
modified copy to ROM. 

A possible solution is to change the 
character set which the PRINT routine 
uses by altering the system variable 
called CHARS held at address 23606, 
CHARS points to the base of the table 
which controls the form of each charac- 
ter. Changing that variable alters the 
form of the entire character set and it 
must, of course, be changed back again 
after use otherwise all subsequent char- 
acters PRINTed will be incorrect. 

John Edwards of Derby would like to 
make use of the facility to change the 
character set. He asks: Is it possible to 
print characters which are under- 
lined? 

The answer is to copy the original 
character set from ROM to RAM, 
modify it so that characters will be 
generated with an underline and then 
alter CHARS to point to the base of the 
new table, The program listed in table 
two demonstrates the method. 

The first line in the program brings 
RAMTOP down to 32767 so that the 
new character table which will be stored 
above that address will not be overwrit- 
ten by the Basic system. Next, the 
character table in the ROM is copied 
byte by byte to its new location. Only 
the characters with codes lying between 
32 and 127 are derived directly from 
that table — all the remainder consist of 
tokens or control codes. Each character 
requires eight bytes to define it so that 
the entire table is 768 bytes long. 

The eight bytes which determine 
each character do so in horizontal slices 
so that to underline a character fully it 
is necessary to set all the bits in the final 
byte to t. In other words the final byte 
must be set to 255. That will cause a 

toniintitd on pagt 127 



SINCLAIR USER September 1934 



125 



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ananaad Jrpm page 125 

continuous line to appear beneath a line 
of PRTNTed characters. I prefer a 
broken line so I have used the value 127 
in the program to ensure the first and 
last bits are not set, I have also avoided 
underlining the space character, which 
happens to be the first character in the 
set, by starting the loop at address 
327S3 rather than 32775. 

The final line of the program resets 
the CHARS variable. Incidentally;, the 
initial value is 60 and in order to recov- 
er the original character set it is neces- 



I notice that some commercial Ba- 
sic programs include lines that are 
flashing or in colour. How are these 
effects produced? 

The Spectrum uses a system of con- 
trol codes so that the software can "tell" 
the hardware when a particular screen 
effect is required. The default values, 
for instance, black INK on white 
PAPER, are determined by the system 
variables but temporary effects can be 
produced within a PRINT or INPUT 
statement. Try, for example, typing; 
10 PRINT " This is the colour 



io 


CLEAR 


32767 


100 


FOR 


I - TO 767 


110 


POKE 


32768 ■+■ I , PEEK ( 15616 + I ) 


120 


NEXT 


I 


200 


FOR 


I = TO 94 


2-i 


POKE 


32783 + S * I , 127 


220 


NEXT 


I 


50 

Tabic 2. A 
tpAtt And 


POKE 23607 , 127 

program ro copy the character set into RAM, underline all characters except 
point the CHARS system variable to the new character Act, 



sary to enter POKE 23607 , 60. 

Owners of the 16K Spectrum will 
have to lower RAMTOP to a smaller 
value, such as 31743, and change the 
value POKEd into CHARS appropri- 
itely. The relationship between RAM- 
TOP and this value is: 

Value POKEd into 23607 = 
INT ((RAMTOP + JV256)- 1 
Valued POKEd into 23606 = 
RAMTOP -255 -256* (Value POKEd 

into 23607) 
Note that the method does not alter the 
user defined graphics which are set to a 
copy of the capital letters A to U when 
the machine is switched on. 
Michael Gwynne of Farnham writes: 



and then press the CAPS SHIFT and 
SYMBOL SHIFT keys Together fol- 
lowed by the CYAN key — number 5 
on the keyboard. Complete the PRINT 
statement by entering: 
cyan." 
The second part of the PRINT state- 
ment appears with a cyan background. 
Further program lines will appear in 
black INK on cyan PAPER. 

To see how these control codes work 
enter the program listed in table three. 
Take care to press the CAPS SHIFT 
and SYMBOL SHIFT keys together 
followed by the CYAN key in between 
the first quotation mark and the capital 
A in line 10. 





LET A£ = "(CAPS SHIFT SYMBOL SHIFT, 5) ABCDEF " 


20 


LET PROG n PEEK 23635 + 256 * PEEF. 23636 


100 


FOR I ■ PROG TO PRDG + IB 


110 


LET J = PEEK ( PROG + I » 




IF J 15 AND J 24 THEN LET J = J + 201 


J 30 


PRINT " PROG + M % I 5 ■ "; J , CHR* J 




NEXT I 


Table 3. To demonstrate the PAPER control codes which look at the first nineteen bytes 
of the Basic area. 



The program lists the contents of the 
first nineteen bytes of The Basic area in 
memory. The PROG system variable 
which is held at address 23635 points to 
the beginning of that area — normally 
23755 if no microdrive hardware is 
attached. When the program is RUN 
the result is as shown in table four. 

The first nineteen bytes hold the first 
line of the program and so the interpre- 
tation of table four is as follows. The 
first two bytes specify the line number 
— in this case, JO — in the form: 
Line number = 256*PEEK 
(PROG +0) + PEEK (PROG + 1) 
The next two bytes specify the line 
length in the form: 

Line length - PEEK 
(PROG + 2)+ 256* PEEK (PROG + 3> 
The next five bvtes are interpreted as: 

LET A$^" 
The next two bytes — PROG + 9 and 
PROG + 10 - control the colour ef- 
fects. Notice that the program adds 201 
to the contents of PROG + 9, I have 
done that because otherwise an "INVA- 
LID COLOUR" error occurs. Thus 
the contents of PROG +9 is really code 
17 and appendix A of the Programming 
Manual shows that to be the PAPER 
control code. The next byte, 
PROG +10, contains the number 5 
which is the number of the CYAN key. 
Thus the two bytes together tell the 
system hardware to temporarily change 
the PAPER colour to CYAN. ' 



PROG 


+ <l 




*p 


PRDG 


+ 1 


10 


f 


PROG 


t 2 


IS 


7 


PROS 


+ .3 







PRGE 


+ 4 


241 


LET 


PROG 


+ 5 


65 


A 


PROG 


4 6 


36 


1 


run!. 


+ 7 


61 





FROG 


+ 


s 




34 


■■ 


pftoe 


+ 


9 






PAPEFJ , 


PRDG 


■ 


LO 




5 




PRDG 


4 


11 




65 


.■• 


PROG 


+ 


12 




□ 1 . 


B 


h-h.", 16 


+ 


13 




67 


C 


PROS 


* 


14 




68 


D 


PROG 


• 


15 




69 


E 


PRGG 


+ 


16 




70 


F 


PROG 


* 


17 




34 


H 


PPGB 


i 


1H 




13 




Table 4. 

prot^rsim 


The display produced by (he 
in table 3. 



SINCLAIR USER September 1984 



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LSEND IMMEDIATELY TO: Richard Shepherd Software Ltd 
Elm House, 23-25 Elmshott Lane. Cippenham. Slough, Berks 



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RICHARD SHEPHERD SOFTWARE 

ELM HOUSE, 23-25 ELMSHOTT LANE, CIPPENHAM, SLOUGH, BERKS. TEL. (062861 63531 



ENCLA 1 R t ' S K R September 1984 



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Club Corner 



Britain 

Aylesbury Computer Club: 12 Long Plough, Aston Clinton, Ayles- 
bury, Bucks. 

Aylrtbun ZX Computer Club: Ken Knight, 22 Mount Si red. 

Anbury (5181 ot 6308*7). 

Basildon: Roundacre Microcomputer Users' Club. J Hazell, Basildon 

2§51I°J4I6333. Meetings every Wednesday 7.30 to 20.30pm. 

Brutal Vile and Sod bury Computer Club: 99 Woodchesrer Yale, 

■ratal, BSI7 4TX. 

Cardiff ZX CJub; Steve Smith (0222) 593237 or Mike Hayes (0222) 

371732. Meets twice a month. 

Colchester Sinclair User Group: Richard Lawn, 102 Prenygate Rnad, 

Cokhcster CO 3 4EE 

Computer Club International, 6 Drumdoon Walk, Downpatrick, N. 

Wind BT30 6UF. 

Coraard Sinclair User Group: Neil Mac Donald, 15 Fotkiln Road, 

Grrar Ccrnard, Sudbury, Suffolk COLO 0DA. 

Crewe and Nantwich Computer Users' Club: J I" A Symondson, 46 

London Road, Stapeley, Nantwich, Cheshire CW5 7JL. 

Daventry & District Computer Ctub: c/o Davcntry Ex-servicemen's 

Quo, Market Square, Davenrry, Nonhamg, 

Doacasler and District Micro Club: John Woods, 60 Dundas Road, 

wleaiky, Doncaster DN2 4DR; (0302) 29357. 

Eastwood Town Microcomputer Club: E N Ryan, 1 5 Queens Square, 

Eastwood, Nottingham NGI6 3BJ. 

Edinburgh: Edinburgh Home Computing Club, John Palmer (031 661 

3183} or lab Robertson (Oil 441 2361) 

EZllG-EducatLonal ZX-B0-SI Users 5 Group: Eric Deeson, Highgate 

School, Birmingham B12 9DS. 

Fumes* Computer Club: R J C Wade, 67 Sands Road, Ulverston, 

Cumbria (Ulvenon 5506S). Meets every other Wednesday. 

Glasgow ZX-S0 81 Users' Club: Ian Wart, 107 Greenwood Road, 

Clarfertori, Glasgow G76 7LW (041 618 1241). 

Gloucester: Mid-weekly Spectrum User Group. Barry [.edbtiry, IS 

Linnet Close, Gloucester GL4 9XA (0452) 23186. 

Gravcscnd Computer Club: cJc- The Extra Tuition Centre, 39 The 

Terrace, Gravesend, Kent DA 12 2BA. Bi-monthly magazine and mem- 
bership card. 

Hassocks ZX Micro User Club, Sussex: Paul King (Hassocks 4530). 

Babbit Appreciation Society, 12 Middlefield l.arte> Hinckley, Lcicrs- 

[ersJisfe LE10 ORB. Free newsletter with SAE. 

Inverclyde ZX-81 Users' Club: Robert Wart, 9 St. John's Ruad, 

Gourock, Renfrewshire PA 19 IPL (Gourock 39967), Meets every other 

Monday at Greenock Society of the Deaf, Kelly Street, Greenock. 

Krighlcy Computer Club: Colin Price, Kedholt, tngrow, Keighlcy 
(603133). 

Lambeth Computer Club; Robert Baker, 32 Heatherington Road, 
Lundon SW4 7NX. 

Liverpool ZX Club: Meetings every Wednesday 7pm at Youth Activities 
Centre Belmont Road, Liverpool 6. Keith Archer, 031-256 6109 (day- 
rime). 

Llanelli Computer Club: 40 Tan-Y-Bryn, Buny Port, Dylcd. Llanelli 
56917. 

Manchester Sinclair Users 1 Club: Meets every Wednesday, 7.30pm, 
ar L.ongsighi Librarv, 519 Stockport Road, Longsight — 061-225 6997 or 
061445 6316, 

Meapham: National ZX Spectrum User Club. City Fullalove, Wood- 
cotes, Camer Park, Mcopham, Kent DA 13 0XS. Bi-monthly newsletter, 
subscription £1.50. Send SAE for details. 

Mcncyilrje (; -op ZX Users 1 Group: Keith Driseoil, 53 Melville 
Read, Bootle, Merseyside L20 6NE; 051-922 3163. 
Micro Users' Group: 316 Kingston Road, Ewell, Surrey KT19 0SY. 
Mid -Ken i Micro Club: Meets once monthly. Enquiries 10 M Gates, 65 
Bnckland Road, Maidstone ME 1 6 0SH. 

Mill Lane Association Computer Group: Bryan Mc Alley, 1 Cow- 
ba», Chinnor, Oxfordshire. (0844) 52426. 

Newcastle (Staffs) Computer Club: Meetings at Newcastle Youth and 
fldulr Centre, Thursday, 7.30 Enquiries ioRG Martin (0782 62065), 
North Hertfordshire Home Computer Club: R Cmtehfield, 2 Dur- 
bam Road, Stevenage; Meetings: first Friday of the month at the 
Scnkcneni, NcveHs Ruad, Letch worth. 

Northern Ireland Sinclair Users* Club: P Gibson, 1 1 Fitzjamcs Park, 
Newtownards, Co Down BT23 4BU. 

forth London Hobby Computer Club: ZX users' group meets at 
North London Polytechnic, Holloway Road, London N7 Monday, 5pm. 



Nottingham Microcomputer Club: ZX-80-8I users' group, G E 
Baslbrd, 9 Iltilme Close, The Pastures, Woodborough, Nottingham. 
Orpington Computer Club: Roger Pyatt, 23 Arundel Drive, Grpiug- 
ion. Ken! (Orpington 2028 1 ) 

Perth and District Amateur Computer Society: Alastair MacPher- 
non, 154 Oakbank Road, Penh PHI 1HA (29633). M«Hy cbifd 
Tuesday of each month at Hunters Lodge Motel, Bankfoo!, 
Regis Amateur Microcomputer Society: R H Willis, 22 Mallard 
Crescent, Pagham, Bognor Regis, West Sussex P02I 4UU. 
Hoche Computer dub: S Victoria Road, Coop Rooms, Roche, Corn- 
wall: 0726 890473, Twice weekly meetings, Monday and Friday 
Saltcoats Computer Club: Colin Borland, 117 High Road, Saltcoats, 
Ayrshire KA2I 5SD. Weekly meetings. 

Sinclair Postal User Group: 24 St, Marys Way, Code SUL, Chigwell, 
Essex [G7 5BX. Produces magazine with compel it ion*, 
Scunthorpe ZX Club; C P Ha^leton, 26 Ri lest one Place, Bortesford, 
Scumhorpci (0724 63466). 

Sheffield; South Yorkshire Personal Computing Group. R Aldcnon 
(0742 20571), S Gray (0742 351440), P Sanderson (0742 351895). 
Sinclair Amateur Radio User Group: SAE or two IRC* for details. 
Paul Newman G4 1NP, 3 Red House Lane, Leiston, Suffolk IPI6 4JZ. 
Sittingbourne: Anurag Vidyarth (0795 73149) 

St Albans: Bi-monthly meetings and a magazine. Details from Adam 
Slaiei, 40 Watfotd Road, St Albans, Herts ALl 2HA, (0727 54176) 
Strstford-on-Avu-n Computer Club: Meets on the second Wednesday 
of every month. Telephone: 0789 68080 for details, 
Swansea Computer Club: B J Candy, Jr Gorlau, Kitlay, Swansea 
(203311), 

Swindon ZX Computer Club: Andrew Harriett, 47 Grosvenor Road, 
Swindon, Wilts SN1 4LT; (0793) 3077, Monthly meetings and library. 
Sutton: Sutton Library Computer Club, £> Wilkin*,, 22 Cheainui Coun, 
Mulgrave Road, Sutton, Surrey SM2 6LR. 

Washington Sinclair Users 1 Club, Columbia Community Centre, 
Tyne and Wear. Meets twice a month, tel. 4179483 or 4167367, 
West Sussex: Mid buret and District Computer User Group. Enquiries 
to V Weston (073 081 38 76), R Armes (073 081 3279). 
Worle Computer Club: S W Rabone, 18 Castle Road, Work, Weston 
super Mare BS22 9JW (Weston-super-Mare 513068) 
Universal ZX Club: Postal club for Spectrum owners in the U.K. and 
abroad. C. .Shaw, I Swiss Walk, Bailey, W. Yorkshire. 
ZX-Ald: Conrad Roe, 25 Cherry Tree Avenue, Walsall WS5 4LH. Please 
include sac. Meetings twice monthly. 



Overseas 

Australia: Australian ZX Users' Newsletter, incorporating QL Usicr. 
Paul Janson, P.O. Box 397, Dapto 3530, Australia, Also seeks unpaid 
contributions for the new&leiter.— W.A. ZX Users' Group, Garth Greg- 
son, 34 Chester Street, South Fremantlc 6162. Phone 3351671. 
Austria: ZX User Club, Thomas Christian, c/o WissenschaJt Fonchi e, 
V., Fostfach 141, Al 190 Vienna. Meets every first Friday of the month. 
Telephone 0222-44 32 050 Ebf del ails 

Belgium, France and Luxembourg: Club Micro-Europe, Raymond 
Bel*, 38 Chemin du Moulin 38, B-I328 0hain, Belgium (32J2/65 37468). 
Denmark: Damnarks National ZX-8081 Kiub (DNZK), fens Larson, 
Skovmosevej 6.4200 Slagelese, post giro 1 46 24 66. 
ZZ-Brugergruppen i Dantnark, Boks 44, 2650 Hvidovrc, Gratis medlems- 
kab og gratis blad til enhver iniercsseret. 

J Niels-Frik Harimann, OZ- ZX-Radioamaror, Bruger Gruppc, Bredgade 
25 DK-4900, Nakskov. 

Finland: ZX-kerho, c/o Kalevi Hamalaineri, Siltakaiu 9 A 8, 33100 
Tampere 10, Finland. Phone 35S3I-34238. Publishes quarterly paper. 
France: Yves Chapron, no. SUS-1047, Rue du Puy, 1j Terrasse, 38660 
Le Touvei;, France, Specifically for users in the Alp*. 
Germany: ZX Club, a posial club, contact Aribert Deckers, Postfach 
967, D-70O0 Stuttgart 1, West Germany. 

Greece: Athens Spectrum Club, Paris Stamelos, Spetsou 2, isi22 Mar 
ousi, Athens, Greece. 

Indonesia: Jakarta ZX 80/81 Users' Club, J S Wiiaya, PO Box 20, Jkukg. 
Jakarta, Utata, Indonesia. 

Irish Amateur Computer Club: Martin S-rapleiun, 48 Scacourt, 
Clontarf, Dublin 3. (331304). 

Irish Sinclair Users Club: PO Bo* 1218, Dublin I. Publishes a 
newsletter. Send SAE for derails. 

continued ot page 134 



SINCLAIR USER September 1984 



133 



Club Corner 



caniinuerf /ram puge 133 

Italy: Sinclair Club, Via MoUdo Vecchio tO/F, 40026 Emotfe Italy, 
Gcnova Sinclair Chlbj Vinorio Gioia, Via FCorridoni, 2-1, telephone 010 
3125 51 

Micro- Europe: Help urn or Club Paris-Micro, 19 Rut? de Tilly, 927GO, 
Colombes,, France: associated with Club Micro-Europe. 

The Netherlands: Clive's Bits and Bytes, Nicoljaj Beets Strut 164, 
6416 VX Heerkn, Telephone 045-42M24. Both Spectrum and ZX-BI 
users welcome. 

Republic nf Ireland: Irish ZX 8031 Users' Club, 73 Cnoc Criomin, 
Baile Atha, Cliath 1. 

Singapore: Sinclair Users' Oroupr Eric Mortimer, ID Wilmer Court, 
Leonie Hill Roaul, Singapore. 

South Africa: Johannesburg ZX-80-81 Computer UserV Club: S Lucas, 

da Hoechst SA (Pty) Ltd, PO Etas 8692, Johannesburg. 

Johannesburg ZX Users' Club: Lenncrl E R Fisher, PO Box G1446, 

Marshal Istown, Johannesburg. 

Dumom and Syndercombe Amateur Computer Club, Jean-Pierre Du- 

mont would like to correspond with ZX-Si owners via tapes. Write to 8 

Kipling Road, Farrarmere, Bernini 1500, Transvaal. 

ZX SA Cluh: fimjthan Jones, House 14, Anglo Alpha TO Bob 15, 1725 
Roodepoorf. 

Spain: Club National de Usuarias lid ZX-31, Joseph-Oriol Tomas, 
Avda, de Madrid, No 203 207, 10, 3a esc. A Bartctaoa-H Espana. 
International ZX Spectrum Club: Gabriel Indalccio Cano, Sardana, 4 
arrico 2a, San Andres de la Barca, Barcelona Send international reply 
coupon. Produces a bi -monthly magazine. Spanish ZX Micro Club: 
Apartado 181, Alicante (Costa BJmea^ Span-,. 
ZX Club Spain; C Benito PO Boh 3253, Madrid, Spain. 

Swedish ZX-ciuh: Sinclair Datorfclubbcnj Bo* IQ07, S-L22, 22 Enskede. 

United States; Bay Area ZX-Bl) User Group, 2660 Las Aromas, Oakland 
CA94G II— Harvard Group, Bolton Road, Harvard MA 01451: <fU7 456 
1967>.-SAF Users' Group, 2749 Eden Road, Leslie, Michigan 49251. 



ZX 81. SPECTRUM. DRAGON. 

BBC. VIC 20 and COMMODORE 64 

SOFTWARE LENDING LIBRARY 

We have lor hire programs for vour computer. Hire 
charges start at 50p (ZX-31L 

£5 life membership (less than the cost of a single 
game* brings you the SOFTWARE LENDING 
LIBRARY membership kit, including catalogue and 
newsletter. 

We now have over 300 hire titles, mostly for the 
Spectrum. We deal with all orders by return of 
post. Overseas members are welcome. 

All major titles which we cannot hire to our 
members are discounted at impressive rates. 

Send cheque or PO for £5 to: 

SOFTWARE LENDING LIBRARY 

PO BOX 3, CASTLEFORD, 

WEST YORKS. 

Stating name, address and computer type. 
Ail tapes used with manufacturers' permission. 

SPECIAL QL SECTION NOW OPEN 

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NB: This offer applies to UK subscribers only. 
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3_A I R V SKR Sepum ber 1984 



135 



OMNICALC HAS BEEN EXTENDED! 

The thousands of satisfied owners of the original OMNICALC spreadsheet program for the 
Spectrum will already know how powerful and versatile it is. The extended version (which goes under 
the highly original title of OMNICALC2) retains all the good features of the original and adds many 
more such as 

— Full support for the microdrive/net/RS232 facilities within Interface 1 

— Inbuilt graphics to draw histograms from your data 

— Insert/Delete column and row functions 

— A separate work area to enable transfer of data between spreadsheets 
(for consolidation etc). 

It can be used with or without microdrives; with a full size printer, includes a conversion 
program to let you run models set up on the original OMNICALC and comes complete with a 
comprehensive manual. 

OMNICALC2 is priced at £14.95 

For existing owners of OMNICALC we are offering a special trade-in deal. Simply send your 
existing tape and manual and a remittance for £8.00 (£9 Europe £10 elsewhere) to the address below 
and we will despatch OMNICALC2 by return. Please note that this trade-in deal is only available 
directly through MICROSPHERE. 






MICROSPHERE COMPUTER SERVICES LTD 72 ROSEBERY ROAD 
LOriDOM M02LA- TELEPhOtiE J-8flL3 9411 




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SUBSCRIPTION FORM 

Mail to: EMAP 



67 Clerkenwell Road, London EC1R 5BH 
I yes — I'd like to subscribe to Sinclair Programs 
I (12 issues — price £13.20) 

I I enclose a cheque for £ 

I Please charge my credit card: 

I Card name - Number 

I Name ^Address 

I 

I Signature 



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I N.B This offer applies to U.K. subscribers only. Overseas rales available on request. 



51NOJUR USER September 1984 



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C4MES THAT FIGHT BACK! 



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F rhe Prize Your mission to discover the innermost chamber of Midas in a huge 
planetary maze. If successful you could be in with a chance of winning up to £5000! 
Only the strongest will survive the devious traps set by the guardians, but just 
imagine what you could do with the prize. .... 

Cassette carries a special £2 discount voucher off your next purchase! 

Dealers, please contact us for very Arcade Software Ltd, Technology House, 
special discounts on our games. Phone 32 Chislehurst Road, Orpington, Kent BR6 ODG 
Orpin gto n 35639 . Te 1 1 O rp j ngton 36639 



Fast -furious racing in this Arcade 
game for the Spectrum 'Pontoon' 
on aide B free! 



^p^v 



hfJ 



Funny floJnga-on deep in a mine. 
Can you escape the evil in its 
depth;? "Original and fun , . . , 
dexterity needed .... ttrategy n 
also involved" — Game* Computing . 



|J 



ii Effl 



WX 



Defuse a bomb hidden on the 
complex planet. Lattice, before it 
blows <!"... action pecked game . . . 
addictive" — Sinclair use?. 



'atf ill ■• * I "" 



mmm 

The mobs out to gat ya' in this rw- 
hciids -barred 25 screen, action - 
packed game. 'Tricky and highly 
entertaining/' — Personal Computing 

News. 



TH 



Programmers. We are looking for high 
quality m/c games for the Spectrum and 
Commodore 64 home computers, send 
them in for evaluation. You have nothing 
to lose! 

All games are for the ZX Spectrum 48K 
and cost just £5,50 each inc. p.p. VAT etc. 



Ad I enclose a cheque for £_ 



or 



g q debit my Barclay card /Access Account^ 

C U Name - 

D □ Address 

ED __ 

F □ 



iI;l*U.*Is 



2W1 



SW9'Q* 



i i i i i i i i i i i i i n 



]• 



50 different screen* of mayhem. "A 
fun game for all eg« .... whkh I 
thoroughly enjoyed." — Home 
Computing Weekly 



Learn Bridge 

and Chess with 
world exp erts 



B 



ridgernasfer is a series of bridge tutors written by Terence 
Reese, one of the world's foremost bridge authorities- Terence 
Reese has numerous bridge books to his credit and is the bridge 
correspondent of the Observer and the Standard. He has won every 
honour in the game including the Wotld Championship. 

tape(s) , a book "Begin Bridge with 
Reese," instruction booklet. 

For the Spectrum 16/4&K, 



Learn to plav chess 
with Ton) Miles 

This package is the ideal personal 
tutor for a beginner m chess. It is 



A complete learning package 
for the beginner at bridge 



For the beginner at bridge the 
problem is how to I earn the game. 
Where Jo you find a good teacher? 
Where do you find the patient 
partners you need while you learn! 
Bridgemasrer's Learning Package 
overcomes these problems. You are 
taught the Aeol system and play 
through a carefully structured series 




IHAII 




of deals. You bid and play just as 
you would at the card table. 
The computer supplies your 
partners and the expert commen- 
tary coaches you through all stages 
of the game. 

Contents 

2 commentary tapes, computer 



Commodore 64, BBC B 6* 
Electron - £19.95. For the ZX81 
£15,95. 

Introduction to expert bridge 

This package is the ideal personal 
tutor for any player who wants to 
improve at bridge. 

Introduction to Expert Bridge 

uses the popular Acol 
system. It will explain 
the intricacies of 
squeeze plays, trump 
coups, cue bids and 
many other advanced 
techniques of bridge. 
You bid and play 
just as you would at the card table. 
The expert commentary will explain 
the bidding and the play, so you 
will be learning as you go through 
the deals. 

Contents 

1 commentary tape, 1 computer 
tape, instruction booklet. 

For the Spectrum 16/48K - £12,95. 



©DO 







TEW, 




valuable for hotb the complete 
beginner as well as the inexperi- 
enced player. The computer program 
and audio commentary contain a 
carefully structured series of demon- 
strations, quizzes and exercises. 
Together they will guide you step 
by step through the game. 

Chess master's Learn to Play 
Chess starts by reaching you the 
moves and the qualities of the 
chess pieces. As you progress you 
are introduced to the tactics and 
strategies of the opening, middle 
and end games. 

The course was written by Tuny 
Miles, Britain's leading player and 
one of the world's top Grandmaster*. 

Contents 

2 commentary tapes, 1 computer 

tape, instruction booklet. 

For the Spectrum 48K - £15-95- 




SOFTWA RE 

Available from Boots and other leading stores or direct from 

Serin Software, Frcepost.Dept. SU7, PO Box 163, Slough SL2 JYY 

Prices include VAT post & packing. Remittances to Serin Software. 



lis 



SINCLAIR USER September 1UH4 




J/ at have reviewed a program uz have given it a 
rating known us tht Gilbert Factor, named after our 
Software editor, John Gilbert. Thai jaaor includes 
tknty of mitmcriens, speed of operation, ease of use, 
mginolity, tasting appeal, use made of graphics and 
HUtd, and sttcseis in acsamphshing stated atmt. 



ZX81 



Adventure 

Mvtalnrc I 
aiitL Crystal 
DaaeeoiK of Doom 
lifionttf Island 
(jreedy dukh 
Ian Curse 
hntehlS OurM 
Lost Hand 
Mapc Maun lain 
Mrnhinl liI Unm 
PhiTfiiii's Tomb 

Pirnmra 

Semi Valley 
5cfprnK Tomb 
vhifi of Ihiom 
Tit Great Wester* 
Time Banditi 
Tsnfc of Dracula 
Trader frilngj' 
Yukanic Jlurtgton 
Vi nrld at Illusions 

Arcade 

IHh [Iropoui 
AMrroidi 
Aneroids 
Allnl toBVOJ 
Baak Robber 
Hear* in 1hr Wuod 
Rubble Uuji'. 

Ifttf 
t'lSBTlllt 1 

Casselir 2-$ 

tilj Patrol 

Damper 

IMrMta 

Bwr Stammer 

Kortt-Niaer 

Vntfut 

I nil -screen Brrakoul 

Galactic Tr»op«r 

liulavH Jailfrrcak 
(rimes 2 
Ganu* Tape 1 
(lames I ape I 
dames I ape 2 
IjBmn Tip* 3 
C too per 

Ghnpa 

Gobblcmirt 

Clibkj 

Graad Prit 

Galp 2 

Hang f.lider 

Hirkstead 

Hlgh-rmilulion Invaders 

Jividrrv 

linden 

tavadcrs 

Jlvtden 

[atadert 



Abereofi b 

Carnell 7 

Wot-soN * 

Artk * 

Phipps 1 

Sinclair * 

Phipps * 

JiRS 

Phipps ■ 

Co si a I 7 

Phipps 

Automata 6 

New soft 

Vurir* * 

Artk 7 

New soft * 

Nr» Soft * 

Felix 

QukksUva o 

Cpmell 5 

Contrast 4 



SlhlTM.K • 

SUverftoft R 

Software l-'ann 6 
V Dries 

Komlk A 

Unicorn A 

Knrnik n 

Prtilek * 

Orwia 7 

Drwin 7 

Si in lair 7 

Ouiiksihu 7 

Qukksilva Jt 

Cathedra! 7 

Sufi ware J arm 9 

1UI. 7 

New (.rneralitin ■ 

Romlk « 

Quicksilvs n 

Romlk o 

JRS * 
J K Grey* 

Fawkes Computing "? 
J K Grey* 
J K 4 irryr 

Ouicksilwi 7 

OuuksiUu 3 

Artie * 
Software farm 

dK' I ronii.s * 

Campbell * 

S Steel rimic* * 

CCS S 

Odyssey * 

Ann-Mill * 

Bug-Byte ' 

Odyssey 8 

Scire 7 
Slhi-rsofl 



Krai}' Kong 
Mm Death Mace 
Maze Man 
Mazogs 

Narntlr Raiders 
Nlgfcl Gunner 
Fuckrnan 
Sabotage 
Six Games 
space Raiders 

Spare Trek 

3D Monster Maze 

Tare*. Games Cassette 

Zuckmaa 

/\ lnva<do> lorcc 

/X fank 

ZX-tl IK Games Pack 
/Mil Porkel RiMik 

Business 

.Kteounts (limited rumpam 
Aci'munlij (Suit I ruder t 
llu>int'iis bank Acvuunl 
rrilicul l*alh Analysis 

Draft 

Vlaiiin K I is[ 

Payrnll 

Payrvtl 

P.Vfoll 

Ptrsoni.) Haiikinu System 

I'lirchas** Ledger 

Mile Day Buuk 

S*|e» I fdffi 

Text 

Education 

Cilpwr 1-1 

Four Rule* of Number 

Inleyraljitn 

Inlcrmetlialr 1 n^tish 1*2 

Inlermediale Maths 1*2 

LtnicuiiKe Erevel. Scries 

LartKuafe Devet. Serie* 

Llnmr Prnarommine 

Matrix Operations 

il Level t brmKlr> 

O L*v*| French Revisine 

41 I i. >it Malhs ItrMMiin 

PtilynnntiaK 

I'rimar) Arilhmelk 

Hurt's -.inn 

Self-leach frugram 

Language 

rorth 
/X Fnrlh 

Practical 

Kphemcri-, 
ruolball Pooh 
Poulsler 

Puzzle 

Nuwutnik I'nzzle 

Simulation 

lighlrr Pilol 
night Slmuiaiiurt 
Pilot 
I'rinl Shop 

Strategy 

Airline 
Autn Gfetf 

Halllrships 
CcflVfakl 
Cjborjj Wan 
Haaall 

Farmer 

Fnolball Minapr 
Fori Apachr 
t'.alikxy < nnniel 
(.real Hrilain ltd 
Oteun trader 
Piutteer Trail 

Traditional 

Du Nut Pass Go 
LyiKhntob 
(>ri|;inat Sup^ro h ti - 



PSS 

PSS 

Abennfl 

But-Byle 

Artk 

[Hsiial Im. 

Ilcnson 

Sinclair 

A Sluhbs 

Sinclair 

J1S 

New Centra lion 

MrGraw Hill 

■>JI 

Artie 

Srlet 

Cryslal 

Phipp; 



] JlcslarrcM 
licit *f rest 

I r-.i[i-n,rni 

Hilderbny 
Myrmidon 
Heslacrml 

lillderbay 
Soft Tech 
>AII (iimpulins 
Mil Ion 
MrvlutrrM 

Traatforni 

Hestaeresl 
Cunlnisl 



i alpar 
Micro Mahler 

Univemlly 
Rose 
Rom 
Glnsson 

Mii'iii Ma.vlrr 

1 1 Diversity 

University 

t alpar 

Hose 

Rose 

Lnlversily 

Rtw 

L'niversliy 

Anvil 



Sinclair 
Arlk 



N 
I 

ft 
I 



Uridyl- 

llarllcnd 

NaiKram 



I Mnpin 

Rain Writer 



Digital lat. 
Sinclair 
Ht-wn>n 
CCS 



i t s 
CCS 
JRS 

Mjririh 

Stratagem 

CCS 

CCS 

Addictive Games 

Contrail 

Martecrh 

llessel 

Qeickslka 

4Jukksilva 



Work Force 

Hndtc 

IP Snllware 



Software Directory 



Tal 
I en pin 

/\ Ih t he„ 

ZX Compendium 
ZX-Chrv. I 

Utility 

(■raphii.ii 

(■riphiiH lunlk.il 

HI Rrsululicm 

Machine Cnde Tttf Tnol 

Mt'oclrr 

I'royramme Lnhanrrmenl 

Package 

Renumber Dflele 

Trace 

ZX CuBapikr 

ZX Screenkii 

Z.X41 Rtmload 

KX-Bug 

/.X-sidcprinl 

ZXAS 

ZXDD 



PSS 

PhJpf» 
Artk 
Caraell 
Artk 



IPA 
JRS 
CRL 
OCT 

PSS 

R and R 
Wor* Fore* 
Teifalr 

BgiimH 

Picturesque 

PierurrmjlH' 

Artk 

Mii'Mophcrr 
BuK-Byle 
Bua-Byle 



T 






SPECTRUM 16K 



Adventure 

Android Orte 

EOscapc 

Mines ul Sulurn Krlurn Iu 

Earth 

Morip 

Planet of Death 

Secret Valley 

The Great Western 

Tlaae Bandils 

Arcade 

Aquariu* 

Arcadia 

Arcadian 

Assassin 

Avenger 

Harem 

lta.se Invaders 

Black Hole 

Blind Alley 

Uii)> BlaMer 

Cassette A 

Caterpillar 

Cavern Flghler 

( c mi -bug 

Ckildrrn"s Ciimprndium 

Cil) 1 1 Men, i 

Colour Cbkffe 

Cookie 

( <iMnic Gwerin* 

( rtt'p> Crawler 

CKra&se and Huifuui 

Crulsini! 

Cyher Kbk 

l^eath (hitsc 

f demolition 

Ckest rover 

Hi-hthium Ufl 

IliKKcr Dan 

Ikiioinhik^i 

l>y monoids 

I a rib Uercnce 

Fd On 

Kskimo Eddie 

Family Games p»rk 

Ftrdlnfe 

Frauu 

Fruil Machine 

Galaclians 

Galaclk Trooper 

Gaiacltc VVnrrinm 

(■alarians 

Ghusi llonl 

Gaasher 

Gnasher 

GobMe-a-GlkisI 

GobMrman 

Godzirja and Mariinns 

< .round A I lack 



Voile* 

Slew (reneratiim 

Mikro-Ge* 

Severn 
Artie 

New soft 

New Soft 
New Sofi 



Bug-Byte 
Imagine 
1 k <.re>* 
Spcclrmseifl 

Abacas 

Temptaliim 

Imatinatio* 

tjue-l 

SniHUne 

< ry^ial 

tjrwlai 

CDS 

Bug-Byte 

dK' Ironies 

Dymond 

s1ikr<i-< n-n 

Homik 

I llimalc 

Cryslal 

Mikro-Gen 

Microsphere 

Sunshiatr 

Sllveridfl 

Micro nact* 

lump, kt-ntals 

Winters 

llewsna 

Ckean 

Work Force 

llymond 

Artie 

Add -On 

Ocean 
Hornby 
AhaciH 
UJI 

dK" Tronic* 
dK' Ironies 
Romtk 

Artk 



t 

4 
7 



Maslrrlronir 
It A H 
CDS 
Arllc 

Tempi alion 
Si|v#rse>ft 



!|CI AIR USER September 1984 



139 




Uulpmnn 

Haunted Hedge* 

Hopper 

Horace and the Spiders 

Horace (>Ht SMlng 

lluntn Horace 

1 01051011 h infi- 
ll 'il the Wonluf 
Jef-Pac 
I ahvrinlh 
Leap Frog 
fight Cyck 
Lana Crab* 
Migk Mt-anii". 
Man Chut 
Meteor Storm 
Mclcuniiils 

MhhmMi 

Mkrn Mouse 

Millepede 

Mined Out 

Muon Buggy 

Mr Wmi'j Loopy |jrandr> 

Muachrr 

Orblter 

drtron 

P*n«y 

Pi I man Seven 

Planrdiids 

Proteus 

Rapcdes 

Rrpukar 

Rider 

Ruad Toad 

Rubol Panic 

Sam .Spade 

Btnti 

Sentinel 
Shark A nach 
Sheer Pank 
Slipper? Sid 
Space Fighter 
Spate Intruders 
Space l-anes 
Spac« Haiders 
Space ^limbics 

Spec., Frogs Showdown 
Spec. Gobhleman 
Spec, Invaders 
Spec. Invasion Fuftf 



Campbell 

Mkromega 

Pss 

Sinclair 

Sinclair 

BtatMr 

Artie 

Crystal 

Ultimate 

Axis 

CDS 

PSS 

Micromcga 
CDS 
Hewtnn 
(Juirksiha 
iik' Trunks 
Suflek 
Lolhlorien 
Add-on 
QuickCs a 
Visions 
\rr,i 

SaWaoA 
Mikro-Gen 
Silyrriun 
S.iHrk 
Micromania 
Visions 
Sinclair 
AbKUS 
Visions 
Suf|«k 
Virgin 
UK Tfottk* 
Soft Mill 

SiivrrMllI 

Artie 

Abacus 

Rontik 

Visions 

SilsrrsuN 

Winters 

Quicitsllva 

Cathedral 

Sinclair 

Mikm-Cen 

Artie 

Artie 

Artk 

Artie 



O 
ft 
8 
9 
I 

a 

s 

8 

4 

* 

* 
7 
2 
X 

7 
6 
f 

7 
7 
h 
ft 
6 

7 

ft 

■ 
5 



Spec. Scramble 


Work Force 


Sperlipcde 


Mastertroak 


Sprclipede 


Rand R 


Spectral Invaders 


Bug-Byte 


Spectral Pank 


Hewsnn 


Spectres 


Rug-By le 


Strike Four 


SprCtresoFt 


Siyv 


Bug-Byte 


Sab 


Homik 


Taak Battle 


dK' Trunks 


I he Ih-sil Kidc> In 


OiwrnT 


3D Monster Chase 


Romik 



Train Game 

Trent 

Vortei 

Winged Warlord 

Wizard's Warriors 

Yomp 

Business 

tin Liner Manager 

Home Computer Pack 

Masterffle 16 

Matcalc 

Mkropea 

Vu-CaVc 

Vu-FTle 

Education 

Alphabet 
Alphabet Games 
ApuslrOphe 
Ballounlng 
Calpac 1-3 
Car Journey 

Cute 

Chess Tutor 

Counting 

Counting • ■ 

Kduraliiin Om 

FJducallottlt 

Firework Musk 

First Numbers 

til I iillL JlilJll ( fJIFU.'i 

I hi ii r ttulcs of Number 
French Vuc Test 
Hidden I i-ncr- 
Hot [lot .Spotter 
I it (duration 

Inii-rmidiaH' |- oi>Iko 1-2 
Intermediate Math* 1-2 
Know Your I ihli-i 
Language Devel. Series. 
language I level. Series 
I {'iirii Basic 
I earning Read 1 
Linear Programming 

Marin Bonk 

Maihs Invaders 

Maths Iulur 

Matrix Operation!, 

Money 

Mifthl -Sky 

f) Level Maths 

Uvel Physks 

Paddingtna's Shopping Mix 

up 

Pathfinder 

Polynomial* 

Pre/ratty school cassettes 

Primary Ariihmeik 

PlIBK-l nation Pete 

K i-g re-, in i n 

Self-teach Program 

Shape -Sorter 

Special Agent 

Spell bin 

I iaa and Learn 

Language 

Beta Haiii 

Practical 

rliorylhms 

Countries of ihe World 

Cyrk Planner 
Map cif Ihe IK 
Shopping I 'si 
Sprrtasorl 

Puzzle 

Fllppit 
Hanoi King 
Lnjii 

INowntaik Putin 
Quazai- 

Simulation 

Air Traffic Controller 

Airtinrr 

Golf 

Golf 



Microsphere 

dk'Trnnics 

JK Greye 

CDS 

Abersufl 

Virgin 



'i 
4 
5 



<M f 

SD Micro 

Campbell 

Work Fore* 

Contrast 

Sinclair 

Sinclair 



Sinclair 

Sinrlaif 

Heinemann 

Calpac 

Heinemann 

Sinclair 

Artk 

Starter Sort 

Widget 

Term 

Siartersnlt 

Soft Cntfnge 

Collins 

firanadu 

Mil in Master 

I iilin i jI 

Poppy 

Lungman 

University 

Rose 

Rose 

Collins 

(ilasson 

Micm Musiei 

Logic 3 

Poppy 

University 

liim 

Slcll 

AD Software 

University 

Poppy 

Bridge 

HlHIll-Mlllli 
HmiitoliHli 

* is 

Widget 
I niiersiu 
tssts 
Hits.' 
Fleinemann 

Uiaiversily 

Anvil 

Wklgel 

Heinemann 

SlarterHifl 

Micml 



R.ta-.itt 



Spec lra.se ft 

I ten sun 

Medidata 

Kuma 

sli 

Spertadraw 

Sinclair 

Contrast 

\irgin 

Phlpps 
Rose 



Hcw-sim 

Protek 

HAH 
Vlrgla 



Nighlllil* 

Print Shop 
Pro-Goir 

Strategy 

AnlO Chef 

HiK Match Soccer 

Dallas 

Mil Iulur 

Farmer 
Football 
Heathrow 
I, an Vegns 
(JuiiK-v 

Traditional 

Backgamnana 
Bridge Tutor 
Bridgrmasler 
C haikngr 
I Gambling Tape 
Las Vfgas 

I MiK mi 

Othelln 

Pinball 

Pool 

Reversi 

Roulette 

Solo Whkl 

Spec. Mkrocbess 

Super Play ■ 

Tennis 



T 
.1 

7 
t 



Utility 



Aspect 
Audio Sortie* 
Auto Soajks 
Bask UtiiiLks 

Char actcr 1 ,1 lieraliH 

IWetron 

Diuusembkr 

l>i>pla> 

Editor/ Assembler 

F.ilended Bask 

FP Compiler 

Kl-1-.lllllllll « 

l*Herfonl 

Machine Code Test I mil 

Masli-r lootkii 

Mt.nl.-r 
Mil ruiii-ii 

Print Ulilltics 

Prognintmer's hreara 

KenumlH r I k Im 

Slow Loader 

Somd FX 

Spec. Bug 

Spec. FJWl-or/ Asueoibkf 

Spec. Monilor 

Spectntm Super Toolkit 

Spectsouad 

Supercede 

lasHirle-ftJ 

fracr 
TT-S 

ZXFJ> 



Hewsoa 

t < s 

Hornbt 

C(S 

Winters 

CCS 

Bug-Byte 

<<S 

Wialm 

tie* MM 

Temptatioa 

Sesrrn 



Hewsaa 
CK 

Hriili!CiriJ>ii i 

TemptatJon 

It* tin md 

li-mptaliun 

RSI) 

CP Sufi ware 

Winters 

Hujt-Bylr 

Sinclair 

Ni»Mi1l 

Video Soft. 
Aitk 
Video 
WlBter* 



SPECTRUM 48 K 



Adventure 



Bug-By It 


S 


W «rk Force 


1 


Hull, ri rati 


5 


J ay soft 


t 


Spectrasofl 


* 


1 NVlHIIlk 


f 


dK' Tronic* 


7 


Work Force 


« 


Picturesque 


it 


CP 


T 


Softek 


• 


s and i . 


* 


All an son 


1 


IMF 


7 


<JCP 


7 


PSS 


II 


Contrail 


* 


Sinclair 


7 


Work Force 


1 


Vvnrk finer 


+ 


KI.K 


V 


dh" Trunks 


• 


\iM< 


| 


Picture Mine 


8 


Picluresi|«r 


9 


Nectarine 


8 


flM.I 




CP 




Tssmaa 




Texgale 




limrdaia 




dK' Tronic* 





A b vss 


CCS 6 


Ate In the If olr 


Add-on 


Adventure 1 


AhersuN 6 


Adsenlure Island 


Contrasl 


Alchemist 


Imagine 


Arcane Quest 


Add-on 


Alias Assignment 


Virgin T 


Black Crystal 


CaraeU 7 


Black Dwarfs 1 .air 


Nrwvofi 


Black Planet 


I'hiups 


Buffer Adventure 


Buffer Mii-rn * 


H>le 


CCS 3 


Caslk Btackslar 


st H 7 


< inns 


fHg Faal > 


< la\>ii- Adventure 


Melbourne Hie 


Coldlti 


IM.ii>,, I 


Colossal Caves 


CP < 


Cry Wnlf! 


Add-on 



140 



SINCLAIR USER Septtmber 1984 




Dcnon I »ni 
Deieetrfe 

Dtuis of Deep 

DiimorirJ Ou«l 
Dfcuaoad Trail 
Dnftwtnanr 
puageon Master 
Pugrom of Doom 
fajkwij Island 
EfensI Ascent 
I'aaEtsta Diamond 
*.oJdra Appk 
(Tii|ii 

Hlfe of Thing:, 
Here cones the *»n 
■MM 

H* 

IJurfur 4.1 it II 

ltd Cuw 

Interna 

Inuaribfc Mind 

blind 

Man* 

Jtfk-he Road 

Jlflf k Adventure 

Kii^E's Quest 

LeepirrJ Lord 

Lards of Midnijjfcl 

htrd.t of I imr 

Lou Over Bermuda 

Mid Martha 

Mid Mirths LI 

Mountains of K*l 

Marricr (t Manor 

M}s«rious Fairground 

OdyiKV of Hope 

Oracle's Cave 

Pirados 

Pen*ut and Adromrda 

PlaMil 

$M 

Qaetwleonfl 

Round shy J n villi' m 

sum's Pendulum 
Shrp of Doom 

S„l,ris 

Spoor 

supers?} 
temple Of Vran 
Terror from The Deep 
TM Cam* 

The Orb 
Tune (funl 

Trunk 

Traasyjvanlan Tower 
Urban I psi^rt 
* ulhilli 

Virnpir* Village 
telnor's Lair 
\(hk'»nit' Dungeon 
Width of ihr World 
/JttjLirK of Dread 

Arcade 

Ad Astra 

Advert. SI. Bemird 

Android Two 

Am Attack 

Amies 

Arena 3000 

Amtlgrddnn 

Atk Atae 

Base Invaders 

Bear Bovver 

Birds and Beta 



I arnell * 

MCE 5 

Arcade T 

Shiiiturd * 

CCS 4 

Gilsofl 7 

Ouicksilva P 

Crystal Conp. 1 

lempurioti 3 

Artk 5 

Sheptrd * 

HrwHMI 1 

Artk 7 
Phipps 

Crystal Camp, n 

Alllgata 7 
Sin Mflhonse Use. 9 

V ifd -i hi 

Add-on * 

Sinclair * 

SRephard 7 

Stepnard 9 

Crystal 4 

Virgin 7 

SJinrds 7 

oca < 

Hupps 6 

Add-on 4 

Beyond 9 

Level Nl*r ■ 
Add-on 

Mlko-Oa 7 

Mikr.-lnn * 

Intrntisc t 

1.1'mliilic 7 

Buffer Micro 6 

MjNi-i h 6 

Dork B 

Runcsofl 1 

Dig fan i 7 

A ultima la 7 

Hewsnn 7 

Virgin S 
Add-on 
Minalrnn 

Artie 7 

Snflel * 

Shepherd S 

Incentive 

Add-on 

Bug-Byle 

Crimp. Rentals * 

Mlkro-Gen * 

R&R 5 

Shepherd 

Shepherd 

Legend 7 

Terminal 4 

Qukksilva 8 

Carnell b 

Mosaic 4 

Add-on * 



(jarxoyk Gam** ft 

Carnell 7 
V dries 

IJunksiWn H 

Bug-Byle < 

Microdeal 5 

Sllversofl J 

I'llimale A 

Work I urn.' * 

Artie K 

Bog-Byl* » 



Blade Alley 


PSS 


e 


Blue Thunder 


R WlkOTS 


6 


Braio JVamage 


Silversofl 


1 


Huh hie Busier 


Sinclair 


S 


HubNe Trod bit 


Arcade 


* 


Bugaboo 


Ookksllva 


7 


Butler fly 


Putsonir 


4 


Caesar ibt Cat 


Mirmrsnfl 


7 


Camlvil 


Eclipse 


5 


Carpel Capers 


Terminal 


7 


Ci*«lon 


Ocean 


7 


Cenlipoid Plus 3 


Orwln 


s 


Chequered Ran 


Sinclair 


t 



Chuckle I UK 
(.huckntan 
Close-la 
Cudcname Mai 
Corridors of (ienon 
Cruise Attack 
Cyber /one 
Death Chcas 5000 
Defrndi 

Dcfreatdar 

flefuaioB 

DefuMun Worms 

Hcm«n 

Demoa Chase 

I KmI Hide- la 

[timrnsiiin flr^lrueuirv 

Dinky Uirk'* 

Dodge City 

Dr Frank? and the MiUlsJer 

Driller Tank* 

Elrklro Sturm 

Energy ».00D 

Eric and lb Moalers 
K.^kimo fddie 

Wtti 

trm. Brer 

f ruol Loop 

Galaxy Attack 

Glue < ;,D K 

Harry 4jors HoaH 

Hlckslead 

Hith rNoo* 

House of Living Dead 

liunchbark 

InvaaiOl* Body Saalch, 

.I.C.I.|IIHl 

Jet Set Willy 
killer Kntg>l 
Knlghl RkJer 
Kosmlc Km(i 
Krakatoa 
Kraiy Kong 

1 ascrwarp 

Lajier Zone 

Lasl Sunset I altica 

La^atron 

I i * I lies 

I mill > /mi 

Lunar JelrHDr) 

Mank Milter 

Matri% 

Miir llealh Hate 

Marlav- 

Melaf-alaclk' Uarnas 

Mission Imptissiblr 

Mission tlmeua 

Monkey Biznes 

Moon Alcrl 

Moons uf Tantalus 

Mr Wlrapey 

Mummy Mummy 

Munoery *s Mergatroids 

1944 

Ohmpkmani* 

Orion 

ParMfrnopen 
Pal l be P'uslman 
Pedro 
Penelrmlor 
Pi-Hiillc-J 

HBytP 

Psi-Spy 
Visit 

Piylron 

Pyramid 

Raider Cursed Mine 

Heae-lor 

Rescue 

Rescue 

ReienRe of Ibe Killer 

Tomalrrcs 

Rider 

River Hckcuc 

Rubut Rlol 

kumiriels R#ven(ue 

Sabre Wuir 

Scuba Dive 

Security Shelier 

Skull 

Sorwrr 



A«F 

CCV Add-on 

Pulsonk 

Mkromefia 

Mew tien- 

Mikro-(;rn 

Cryslal 

Artk 

I in if si I'll a 

Mikro-fien 

Inccnllvr 

K lei 

Mn r,.i ii-iii 

Mansfirld 

( amrll 

Artie 

Poftlern 

Phoenix 

Virgin 

Sinclair 

PSS 

Els 

Sinclair 

Ocean 

Qwkksilva 

Silvcrvofi 

NTD -Mil i « .ii ■ 

Sunshine 

CRL 

f'ulsonit 

CCS 

Work lorvr 

Phipps 

Ocean 

Crystal 

Comp- RentaK 

Sofiware Prujccls 

PUppa 

Hewson 

Mkromania 

Abb*s; 

PSS 

Mikru-f^cn 

Qukkxllva 

Arcade 

Conlra-sL 

I'S^. 

Phipps 

Ultimate 

111 IM Hill 

Salamander 

PS« 

dk' Tronic* 

Salamander 

Silverson 

Pnl>»nic 

Arik 

Ocean 

< ornhill 
Ocean 
Luthlorien 
Abacus 
Visions 
Automala 
Software Projects 
Rahbil 
Mikm-Crn 
Imagine 
MeJhiiume Use 
Automata 
Automata 

Pus urn 
Uliitnale 
Beyond 
Fantasy 

Arcade 
(.emini 

Cnmp. Kcnlah 
Ocean 

Visions 
Virgin 

< realise Sparks 
SUversofi 
Crystal 
Ulllnaie 
Durrtll 
Add-on 

Games Machine 
Vir H ia 



b 

1 

i 

« 

A 

7 
I 
4 

7 
* 

* 
3 
rj 
4 

6 

* 

S 
4 

6 
6 

4 
« 

* 

7 
9 

at 

9 

* 

I 

* 

t 

* 
* 
6 
6 
ft 

7 

8 

a 

6 
4 

7 

S 

7 
* 
6 

4 
f 
S 
4 

* 

7 
7 
7 
t 
5 
7 
♦ 
I 



Space Station Zebra 

Sj>e*tron 

Sptal 

Stop the lAprry. 

Submarine Slrike 

Tank Tru 

I in Guardian 

The Snowmia 

3-D Bat A Hack 

3D I iinaliack 

31 J Seiddab Attack 

.11) Star Wars 

3D Tunitel 

Tlaa* Gale 

I imebomb 

Inbor 

Turnado Low l-evel 

Traax Am 

Irtish in an 

Trail 

Iribbk I rubble 

from 

lulankhamurt 

Two Gun Turtle 

Warlock of Firelop 

Mountain 

Hhrelie 

Worm A I lack 

Xadota 

Zipper Ripper 

Business 

Account Mana^emeai 

System 

Accounls (Limited 

Company) 

Accounts iSok Trader) 

Address File 

Address Manager 

Bank Account System 

Bank Verifier 

Business BuL Account 

Cask Coalrotkr 

CoHector's Pack 

Critical Path Analysis 

Database 

lift Book -keeping 

Heath planner 

Investment, Insurance. 

Information 

MaMcrfile 

Omnicalc 

Pay mil 

Payroll 

Payroll 

Personal Banking System 

Personal fin ant, 

Managed** nl s,^,, 
Mu Ill-File 

Sales Day Hook 

Small Business Accounts 

Spreadsheet 

Slock Control 



Beyond 

VirclB 

fncenlitr 

Sia>elpir 

Polsonk 

Maslertronk 

PSS 

Oukkillva 

ClhectahMifl 

Hew son 

Hew son 

Add-on 

Mew frfneraljoa 

liuicksilvi 

CDS 

Add-on 

Vartcx 

1 III mate 

New Generation 

Qwkkallva 

Software Projects 

dk "Ironies 

Micromania 

l.ufhkiricn 

Penguin 

Microspkere 

1'ulsonic 

Qulcksllva 

dK'Trndci 



f ulwood 

lievlacrest 

lliila. n-sl 

SI) Micro 

OCT 

K Gouldslonc 

SD Mkru 

Transform 

Shepherd 

Sinclair 

Milder hat 

Mi..", i 

RAMTOP 

Healta i omputing 

Inform 
Campbell 
Microsphere 
Hilderhay 
Iransiorm 
Vlll CumpullBg 
Hilton 

I nl* o I ill 

ISP 

I ransiorm 
Sinclair 
Mitral 
Kemp 



« 
a 
ft 

■ 

• 
t 
ft 

i 

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i 
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7 
7 

I 

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1 
7 
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4 



7 
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4 

4 



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7 




LKCLAIR USER September 1934 



141 



Stock Cnnlrol 
Slock Control 
Tnword 
Tasword [I 

vmn » Kc 

Word Processor 

Education 

ABC Liftoff 

Angle 

A, nglc I urac r 

Aslru Mi* ills 

CMlk 

Ctwll* Speilrrao* 

( hes* lulor 1 

Cartes 

Coualabout 

HiM I imtr 

Kkrlroak 1 .earner' * Guide 

Nil. I 

I u-ni li is Fun 

F reach Mistress 

Frenrh Vot Test 

iierman is Furl 

t .rrmun M«-kf 

Guitar Tutor I 

Guitar Tutor 2 

Hmdwriling 

Hotline 

Humply Dumpty 

Ittknsi 

Jungle Jumble 

J untie Malta 

Leant lo Read 1-5 

Letter* and Number* 

I inkword 

Look Sharp 

Magnet* 

Miic-i-Chip 

MtBsfk Id Park 

Maliiskills II 

MD.A-PCSS 

Model Math* 

Mr. Men 

Mr. T's Measuring Games 

Musicm uMe r 

Nincleenlh C §■ ji^Iuti-tI 

Level Chemistry 
O Level Physics 
Parly lime 
Pathfinder 
Piratc 

Quirk Thinking 
Sequences 
Spanisk Gold 
Speak and "ipcll 
Speech Marks. 
Spelling Bee 
Star Header 
Start nicker 
Teacher Data 
Tense French 
Time traveller 
Tuner 
Whiff Kill 
Wlwtrd Box 

Em 

Language 

Forth 
Forth 

Micro Prolog 
Pascal Compiler 
Snail Logo 
Spec. Forth 
Spec. Forth 
ZX Forth 

Practical 

Ream&caii 

Computer Cookbook 

Cricket Averages 

Diet 

Diet Master 

Dietician 

LnK'rtr Diagnostic 

nm Aid 

Football Pool* 

How long have jolt got? 

1 Chiaa 



tlildertmy 

I < jnsform 

Twin 

I asm an 
Sl» Micro 
Mkrol 



I ungmiin 

ChnlkMifl 

Arnold Whcalon 

>tivofl 

L'En&oukindn 

Sinclair 

Sinclair 

l.'Fnsooletado 

Longman 

rtnHmrTl 

ETST 
CDS 

Kuxmos 

Tutorial 

CHS 

koinius 

Harlequin 

Harlequin 

CfcaJk&ofi 

( hjlkvofl 

Widge* 

Cfcatktofl 

f ,'lrver t luggs 

?vcisofl 

Sinclair 

Jim jams. 

Silirrrsoft 

Mirrorsofl 

Sinclair 

Sinclair 

Sussex 

Griifio 

M HA Amoc. 

Jhr 

Mirror 

F"hur* 

Sinclair 

Susses 

Cnlpac 

Think lank 

C- lulor 

Widget 

i halksnfl 

Marrwwft 

Chulksoft 

Chalk soft 

5 and G 

Sinclair 

■■ll|ie System* 

Scisnh 

Widget 

B Fitrrts 

Soli. 

Wilky 

SoD Collage 

Comp. Tutor 

BetnoA 

L'FJruHiuhriado 



Melbourne Hs*. 

Sinclair 

Sinclair 

Ili-SoR 

CP 

Abersufl 

CP 

Artk 



Hramscan 
Bog Byte 
Spartan CC 
dK" [ionics 
(Met Master 
Key soft 
Speeirawjft 
Fasl mead 
llurllarxl 
I asl mead 
Salamander 



5 

t> 

7 
* 
7 
f 



i 

7 



I I liiot 

Personal Reminder 

Slar (ijfir 

The Complete Guide to 

Medicine 

Vega-Fable 

World Into 

Puzzle 

ArClurtts' 

Compufaword 

Mix 

Hanoi king 

JumMy 

Muvccuhc 

.111 Strategy 

Smart Henri's Pop Qulj 

Simulation 

Ashtt 

Crkkrl Cnptnin 

Fi«kler Pilot 

Flight Simulation 

GoH 

llowiat 

Inkos 

Match Point 

New Blrkdalr 

Olympics 

Royal Hirkdulc 

Slrikc Attack 

Saner Soccer 

Test Ma Ith. 

The Forest 

Iron n 

United 

World Cap Football 

Strategy 

Airline 

Angle* 

Apocalypse 

llullle 1417 

Battle of Britain 

Brewery 

Hritish Lowland 

Caribbean Trader 

Conflict 

Conquest 

Ills Vlillc 

Fall of Rome 

Football Manager 

Guilty Conflict 

(Gangsters 

(■■ErcTBsher 

CencraJ FJcclJon 

(.real Britain I Id 

Hunter Killer 

Its Only Rock n Roll 

J nanny Reb 

King Arthur 

Millionaire 

Mugsy 

ISrw Venture 

HM 

Oligopoly 

Plunder 

Red Weed 

Rcli'ttswald 

s< allfrhrain 

Shccpwalk 

Special Operations 

Spec! realm 

Sionkcrs 

Super- 1 caguc 

Iradcwind' 
War 711 
Warlord 
Whodunnit 
Wilfred the Hairy 

Traditional 

Arrlunit 

Backgammon 
Brill 

Bridge Mister 
Bridge Player 



S.r.os * 

SD Micro 

CRL 1 

Fiaslmrad A 

Vega 7 

wnii -oh * 



Visions 7 

Work Force t 

Soflrick* 7 
Contrail 
dK' Tronlca 

PAL A 

Qtiii'ksilva h 

Hi ;lt flower 7 



Pulsonic 

A Hanson 6 

Digital Int. * 

Sinclair 6 

dIC Ironies * 

Wysern S 

thalksoft * 

Sinclair 9 

Hornby fl 

CRL A 

Ocean * 

Micro mart 4 

Wiotcr.s 4 

Comp. Rental* f> 

Phippii 7 

■torn by S 

CCS 4 

Artk 7 



CCS 7 

\irjiio ft 

Kctt Shift * 
I 
Micrognme 

CCS * 
CCS 

F. MiiiLonl 7 

MarliM'h ■ 

Chectahsoh Q 

CCS S 

ASP 6 

Addictive Gnat. 7 

Yluruch 8 

CCS 8 

Qoick&iiYi T 

flu-jlUl. 1 
llessel 

Protefc » 
K Id 
Lothlurian 
E. Midland 

Incentive 7 

Melbourne House 8 

Falcon 4 

lacenliie 7 

CCS 7 

CCS (I 

l.olhloriun 7 
MW Gkmes world 3 

Manor 7 

Virgin 

I olhorien It 

RuneSOlt b 

Imaeine 9 

Cross 6 

WIJS * 

ccs a 
l.olhlorian 

ccs t 

Microhytr 2 



llullsryr 

Dtrtty Day 

Do Not Pass Go 

Draughts 

Kvoiution 

Go To Jail 

Grid run Pub loon 

Mind <iim« 

Original Super theu 

Puntoon 

Roulette 

Scrabble 

Snooker 

Super Bridge 

Super chess II 

Super c best I'hree 

I he Turk 

Voice Ckess 

VaJtl/i 

VH/ee 

ZX Draught* 

ZX-Chcs* II 



Utility 

Alison S 1 

VswiildUi 
Beyond Hasir 
Building Price 
Cartoon Animation 
Character trfneralor 
Compiler 
Composer 
DLAN 
Football 
FP ( ompiler 
Friendly F jcc 
Games DeSlBaeT 
III Ul, 

Keyword F.tlension 
linked Sollwiire: 
Infitrmjlinn liUmJlinu 
List File 
Melbourne Draw 



jMonitor Diss 
/u. 



7 



Make Music 
Musk Maker 
PaiNihm 
Prini IHIMM 
QUI 

Screen Machine 
soiulk 1-2 
Spec. Assembler 
Spec. Compiler 
Speciadraw Z 
Spectrum tMended BasV 
Spectrum Monitor 
Sptrlrum Sprites 
Spectrum Super Tun lit I 

I runs Enpress 

VuJH 

/4-os Assemhlrr 



Maslrnronic 4 

CRL I 

Work Force A 

CP 7 
Microsphere 

Automata 

Arcade 

'I.1-1- 7 

CP Salrwar* ' 

t IHlllJSi J 

Ihraiind 

Sincliir 8 

Visjow * 
KuDVr Micro 

CP 8 

t P 9 

OCP 8 

\nk 1 

Work Fore* 

< P Software $ 

( P Software 7 

Artie 



A FiraUnaer T 

Artie b 

Sinclair 

J Redmin rj 

FowJer 

ISP I 

Sortrk b 

Coalraat I 

Campbell • 

Diuifal lit. * 

Soltek f 

Monitor 4 

Onick 7 

Mflthninir lliiusc 8 

liincdjla 8 

MeGnmJm i 

Si) Micro 
Mel bourne Mm'. 

Sinclair a 

Holier Micro 8 

KflilTower 3 

Print II Plotter * 

Sinclair 7 

Gllsofi 9 

ISP 7 

<P B 

Artk 

Sortek 7 

Me Alley 

1 P Software 7 

Picturesque 7 

l~s|- 8 

Pseciarine I 

kiniunik Robol K 

Sini'ljir H 

Sinclair •) 



\ isions 7 

CP 7 

T Leboa 7 

Serim 7 

CP I 




142 



SINCLAIR USER SepieMbtr 1984 



PROGRAMMABLE 

JOYSTICK 

INTERFACE 
with RAPID FIRE as standard 



*_- •Compatible with ALL software 

7 *Does NOT disable keyboard 

X *Can be reprogrammed whilst game 
q running 

*AII interfaces are FULLY TESTED 
before despatch 



P 
E 
C 

T 
R 
U 
M 



Price £26,00 + £1.00 P&P 



Send cheque or P.O. to 

PAGE COMPUTING, 28 Burwood Grove, 
Hayling Island, Hants. 

TEL (0705) 467908 

Trade/Export Enquiries Welcome 




Statacom Distribution Ltd, are sole distributors of 

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Whatever your needs - .. talk to us. 

A to p quality 200K (1 OOK per s ide) drive, com plete with 

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Also available now, a brand new disk interface for your 

Spectrum. Both interface and drive may be purchased 

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Phologrepti dM* nd »how IrHaftaC*. 



STATACOM DISTRIBUTION LTD, 13-1 7 CHE A I* ROAD, 
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MICRO PRESS 

A WHOLE NEW WORLD AT YOUR FINGERTIPS 

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a collection of seven graphical adventure games for the Spectrum 48K as well as 
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Please send me: 

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I enclose cheque i postal order forE 



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SINCLAIR USER September t$B4 



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CI HECOHDS COCK BUR N 
STREfT, IDJNBURCH. 

Att tSS'VISA ORDERS 
031-22S 95t>S 



SUPERIOR TAPE 
COPIER 



Wc aire cnnvmixd thifcl I he tww I NIT SPY i\ 

iMe >ciy bc^r Sr>ccLiuiik i&pc Lufncr jvail- 
ahlr on {asKKc, Find i belter one orfrr- 
m,u_ hctlcr kjiJiic fiti mDrtiry, and TWJCE 
your mency wilt tw rfTunetrd 

i . Can i:opv muliipan programs aJI in ont 
jo Bulrw"^lii;iili 

h. Can uopy a genuine 4SK long protrijii. 
C. ficnunvrl^ the easiest ^L>pL«r Ki uw, 
d. Mkrodrivr CompatibJ; AND includta 
prc>gFarn Hi 1riinsi*r B&pc^ lih your rVErLTEh 
driw AND they'll work 

H7 SPV IS Jl'M 0.»5 



/\-(.l VR\N I IK I) (lh]Pl »s| I 
2* Chadderiitn llri** I MWMtk, 

Hun, 1 mi-,. I>|: *H T W «t|2. 



CONTRACT BRIDGE 

Campta** Conlrflct Qfidat unnk- handed soamir vuur Spoctrum Randcnri hntl 

UnnirpaUad tmhtlfiff **rj fAiy (-nil icnraq. Unlikr nQmn. ll>n taVti lh* naUH laxaaudv 

Dad yau know our mn|£ic rjaal cdmaae mr*n plmy mimclmrmf'-*' I H*r* yonj play axaclly at you 

would with hrirmri ll you want OlhAmtk*, dtoOH •marlnaOpdoni nul in Uruajr pa4fnraal 

■ Oaf I™ yuuf own hand! • rt» brf or ragJay m\if hand 
& Display avaryona'i cardt •Channaiidai 

■ Mnke oomputrr bid or ptsy >•!' rov # Hul .11 four h*n>l? yfAjitiH 
• L*y down H rajftrt V B ury all Iha carda yuuraall 

It rrvii br am) iu crf*r K in^ch . u#r>r MHaa r«r l n « ' S4nrJ or paapp*. today . 
C9. 9b Ichequa or Accvul fulhr irarlynat Onry nvAitpuaj dincl from ui. by nhdm 



SPtCTHUIfl 

48K 



CONTflACT BRIDGE ttan datmilivn ram do th» dalimtiva mr"« 
Alio auailablt 'or ComnMMkarE 6fl 

HIGHLIGHT SO F-TWAttE 

3 NrrlriT Caurt, HihUad. luan. COS iME Td 101871 475Tt4 



L44 



SINCLAIR USER ^ttrniieT 1984 



HEMEL COMPUTER CENTRE LTD 
HEMEL COMPUTER CENTRE L TD 
HEMEL COMPUTER CENTRE L TD 



We are the repair centre for large retail chain with 300 
Computer Shops. Send us your 16K or 48K Spectrum 
with a brief description of fault. We will repair and 
return it to you for £16 + postage and packing. 

All repairs guaranteed. 



HEMEL COMPUTER CENTRE LTD, 

52 HIGH STREET, 

HEMEL HEMPSTEAD, 

HERTS. HP1 3AF. 

TEL; 044221 2436 



pounaocion 

aoDLica conrXMxrio 

ST110 STATISTICS 4 BlGffiSSWI MttLTSlS 
Itt rtM*" * *mv. tag. ptmw. 

■DWlial KfTHlWU 

Vf u 1 rtrntarj 

mlHbllu 11IKHH 
Tka papain ■ intM * mie. 

■cnajri** todaaltiat. 

E8.0O t r>*B* 



S"130 U STUD bui •taring « u » «■ 

(1.00 t I5*p*» 

ST130M «. ST130 but on riarJeatPrl. 

fl5.Hl I 75* *! 

■J wm I* *St ipKlnm. 

hx*o*tim *miEn cmmirns 

Ufcraaa HMD. l|*H» l»M 

JHtFHHB, SI* W«. 



-fe. PRIDE UTILITIES 

r.— n j ™->— *- ^-i — «.^->. 

■aaai mi W»# "*Y aaRia •! **> M«ln»i 



'CAT LOG. toiHtaM hndr mtr 

'LOADER. v* T iwwim pir » ™»p" ■■> ■*■ 

uteiip JU fei iiIiihip ii ii'im 



'TOMCAT, mi n— "..«•» i— •» e«f 

Inl Lup*f M HTf I*PJ F¥ w 

■x ■diili n . n bfari fan 
* DISCAT. It* fcl — r m II 

■ Hal paaand Han **«* p**H a*» »J mlr* 



UllKIVin «t*1 athr I1B 

tr ■*■•«- u» • ail * rs* 



pwk immts KM BdiOCf fe t*i hme iiitdr wns 



MICHODRlVl COMPATIBLE 
SOFTWARE 



NOW AVAR.ABLL 

Bua n III md practical priflrafrri ■ apaaaatY 
Ou ancfcj*™* imgi aicftaJai 
■ KfSpH 



To ihuh our Mul 0"»"i Catalogue 
HrtH SAI.'IHC n>: 

S. 0. MierMynem*. P.D.fiu Z4, 
Hitchin, Herts- 



INTERNATIONAL CO 

REQUIKK 

NEW PROGRAMS 

We urgently require new 
original programs, all 
machine types H for UK and 
world wide distribution. 
TOP ROYALTIES PAID. 

Send your programs to: 

RAZORSOFT, 12 Rosekill, 

Sittion, Survey. 



DRIVE CALC 




• 1 Ml*! 



CHYME SOFTWARE 

Require educational, arcade or 
adventure programmes already 
written or to be created of a 
marketable quality from Ireland 
or England. 

Apfriy: Chyme Software, 

John F. Kennedy Drive. 

Nais Road, Dublin 12, 

James Peart 0001 505773 



COMPUTING 
CERTIFICATE 

S*nd Tot yWir imprewi« m ember ship 

cerEirkaic. and kktivt details of * 

praclKaJ programming r**m ihal ¥«i can 

nkc NOW id earn a 

CFJitificatt; lr» r«MruTKH 

Srnii OKque/F.O. for £*.<» lu: 

itnittlv' lompmtT Uunnn IF*, 

1,'lHr *. KmintiM f tmFnr. 

Ca**f*<i9ii Hand. tilrlfnfuBlt, 



QL 



AS>E-.MBE,I P 

DB ASS) MU I B 



SrKTRUM SOFTWAHE EXCHAAKK CUR). Ftaa 
rnsntfMfiftp. Choanal m*n twino. Fen FFEE ORtaaa 
jmiH nanvao: addra«*d anniloeo bo O Mtnm 3S 
Cuww^lhim Clut*. SMMturvnow. SM-. S&'i 9YR. 

IX ti 1*K Wrth tihiui! ind iMnwim <ichidiisi 30 
momlDf mil* mwoga, S&Mfcl* niMWOftr. rj^ft- 
comlH. <KV¥»n T*p*i F»k ind fivii P*«d n«nv mom 



Atall«hk Win* : for QDG5 ueftlon AH 



QLAH> 
OtSASM 



- frBOOo Awnbb 111 !!■■":> 

- 5boo8 pu mowhir i.19-95 

OT bfvtli fur £29-W 

DATAGOOn Ltn 
54 ttJllowtMnfc Hamk 

Knowl*, SOI 1 1 1 1 ' I I , 

Writ Midlands 



SCHOOL BOY 

Art you j school boy interested in micros.? Then you may be able in cam 
quite • Ini more pocket money, or get ymir aJduiti at a discount. We are 
seeking active younjt perMim in all areas of the country to help u% wiih our 
martclinK planv There is aJiOiJHi nppurtunity of some trttirtiilg for therighl 
people and some job prospeets for school leavers who quality Don't delay 
writ* 10 in loday. it could be the best thing JOU have ever done to secure 
your future. 
Reply to: SCHOOL MONITOR LTD, 35 CROSVEMOR RIIAI>. 

TWICKEWHAM. MIDDLESEX, 



PIHHV Hnpl 



It IK 

iwytMrtlM, t0*9*i 37?T0ln Ev»n»>o. 

KEYFWP""G CHAIrf IA+. l»Mii>tMCI fimlti. 5»»*» 
1m<« V4t Mrnpar Cmim *ll you naad. il * fil«me*. 
lof ipv«<!f «i puttpio fl 6TJ id ft. £ Pri(ch*ii. 
SiFrtffl HfhiM-. BibiFT. Cli«ftC«M'. G*i" («■* SNP 



UUASIMOOO- Ov" lolv <*W dlll»<«nt uhii »1 
•clion. llU»r»ilno to ihcui E*««J»fel«. tXsm w** 
irrow*. f>*0***< ■oMi»»a. oil* »^ mmdi mm. *8S 
Spaclru" f 5 SO t|l*fm* SaMwW*. *J St. GMra*'* 
Natd, Miie*>*m, S^rr. T . N»v, pOO/»m« «oh:«n^ 

CHEHtETHY 11 l«rrt €^> •** S4>«:lnm H*.i Im 
«r|h ii|i cd dale nomif- *rtri !B*t yaur H^*m,iTrv 

t.nciwl«ltf* Upt«nctl KftirUt *11»Cia ,* H^rrtGy. 4S 

.*Jd«r rt*y Hand. St. H«n«, MnrHvuda 

SPECTRUM iai4*k " UOUCL' ' Prnanti hof HIW 
p*ck hy IB* li Jnd cvor unlf (Sun rigs when 
wmrinq» ertjy T3 9i ChsqueS ME, io I Brooke, 1 1 
MihDrri. Cipknirmi Strain. Soutf*r*l Ewi 

S«CTRtJH OWMtMr For *p*d! tl Wm; SHorl W' 
CDdk'.'Bnx; tduvgi, Tips c*> oro(p*mmina. KjumJ 
«d kmh md<*l Sin* |uil €1 50 lnnupaft) corTpiln 
imti. fl. Lit***. (3- CHufch Hotrf. H»if*M PwBfBl. 
CrwIniiHprd E*H^. 

1«^*iM UlTWUHX. C*iciJI«m nmidon* on I.T.V. 
7. fii#d oddk -unllmiWd numbon. mised *0t*ip*. 
litHl.ilt Up to 6 irkiccumi. ClwmwI'O fw FSlB 
Ucmmick B9 Bjllochm*!*. Enil Ki*rfid«. t.lliapw 
HM MT 

PART5 SCDHCIOADO Fmiuooi snclud. *»«r»o* 

KOi> [»f Ihmw. r«sonmi»nd»d ttnow* ii*ti*n icon 
4 D* law 1 TO md *)<*H rwajil chuKlK .»»(H«v 
fl 95M Wrnnn*. Ja Omm Vitm. N**»om«, 
HvthHiirwki. rt Yd*i. 

SURVrvOfl JSK SOKirun. Swmi in* »r»r m«T* or 
nuc4lir w». Tht fcrtv*fliuro girnv y(«" could ba 
plm*M tor fhI V" Hi) Stud t* 95 n> Aadwhuts 
3a4lWBD, 13 ThfnM Stml, Cmlon. Cvnun Cf-4 
1RO 

COHnJTEtt BOO* W*i ortlw hkMH S.A-t; foi 

WtO.t. Arnimtrano. HOdim Strwt. K*fcfr*WV, 
SYJ SWH, 

16K IJC-SI pAh autr 30 #ti¥»» ind biw 1*" T V 
worth tlbU. Mil tm t75 On»V 1 »Mr oW mow 
Gun (020?) JJS'3 C^n uiln T v "*" camputer 

TELtvlilO* ttAMES CASSETTE lor ZK ai Includ 
,nu tataviiwi S«r«t>bta «d Coun!*n*ii Inamben 
tnd wwnhl. Send &Nlv fa.BS to SS S**iw*n. 1 St. 
Frmchi Rood, Wt"icfton:h. Cwdill CF« 1AW. Ct» 
MM drtwrv au*'« nl ** <l 



Antec knowtodo* IS w'H« proa(«iiii mkI ««»*•■ tor 
SincIlK Arm Ft«m Z*-H I pr^ SaKUum. P*h writ. 
■a P. 0. Sax 1*7. Jp*4*h. S*J* *f"l>" 

EPECTflUM *W CHJUMEM CttaimUm C~m—K* 

Ai4o*«aui>G-ioni is- lopiMifliKi is suuayk. 

BAM (3D0vS*f in mik F-nimr, 14 P»p p < 
Ftapd. Aanwpit*., * ■"( 

OUTPUT AM AXAlDq WOLIAM FROM rOUR 
BPECTPHJM Siinpt* MM on unrt camptsts with tHI- 

Mry ind inrtruttkm* 5*nd £*0O tn: N. A^wrtiWt 
J4 Knowihv r>ivs. L»qh. LWWi WK7 1LY 

TUTDHHO W MACMME COM For IK StMCtnrr. 

Kid ZX 81 1ri>m ^M^ftAjf to ukirg kho likirupir* 
Hid ROM rouline f7 SO p»r r»jr. Lumlw in* ip^Y 
Ptwm M> Edwwdn. «n 01 931 liil 

THt WIJiAftO* APP RP fflCT AH a/nnmci qwrw fw 

Ehl +B*. Spodrum Only £3 t» P***** *• t»H 

Idoimm m rt» wartd 1 CfwquM<*0 10 Un Him, 
33 HhUkkouo* Fkwd. MnnvFaWl. FJurtl 

WANtsD BfNCUWR EKITKrlJSIASr Wi n> ■ votun- 

w, lajanct li*p>nn f*Qt** "' 4 iHlwrwmry com 
punr pfpimrti. Wo hMd * v«h*i!Md ra kdu>H on and 
rooi out inHwn Binsi H*lfjHm ll IflUf Klnr 1 
2S7 B42J 

HUfOtY WHH* HTOCRS La*T|f Popuhr •«f1«M4 and 

Poltm nukino t*»BF»m» u»rf ucuri . »top j;»Qynm. 
puskpifl. *rieilny. »it 4 Uhi Fnvndhr i^Hjfiii«* 

BO^ftfllPDinp 5MtHT*n'l Fbfl [HllfKill. C/w^«l1^0 

i 1 W inc A j Wm. 1 9 FomiHKXI. HAinU*. SKS 
HC 

S«CTRtJFll IQADHAVM with pevrtr •«* ina 
LosdrStv* Mitch tmn iw cempwi*i kHd* 
ItMiIWWtAr- comend. Dn «p«ti*F #11" only 
t7.«, S*nd Chaqua to P fl»li:H1», Fj v wtop Ptr«H 

Marmiont,. Lanlan Hta BTS. 

*WHOO«rai. InmrliM 1 * 3 kAmdmn mthM 
* IncMcanatrTl Book - fBQ. k mrtM 7, "Tfini 
AM" ADM LMTSidoe QLHCkmot Je^rMlBk-r3jQ AI 



M]Lj(fjni4nr«i •HCflH»q[ c4mrPlB?ft F^*ttitMwj 

Ji«t tltuX'l IJnHWTtKi trMWH* Pnm IM14J 

7 JOSS ! 

DARTS ortY [ I 95 ie.'*Wi; S4»*qiri«n cotoui Boural 

and anmalKPl. TFirW »■««■«# Hani namaa Fo> wH 
aaai. CFiaquaa ate. and 5-A E Abacji SoFtwata. 
Ulai Bapt . Efl SFnoamawl Boad, taoh Wyromba. 
ttucm 

UP TO torn OFF EVCCTRUM aOFTWAUT .« «s 

ruli irvi-liojl Pool. Sronkan. and AH Aliatk art 

Sand 5 A F Ini In" a> Paul Hawtwr. Bfl BkH* B"« 
Road. F^»»ion> Km CT 1 • SOU 

■PECTRUM aVTfjVACX t M»] eARLES, [ 1 1 . 
arum T» ic FtSi Ji pnniHi Mr. iStandwd 3 S 0" tj 
pHusiJ Fni«p«ia SYnoma (Bnc^naRi. 141 VanoYaa 
BVaokna*. EUfki. FK31 2 *UT 

TUfTN YOUR EUJRPUB) IC'S. irananlor, «r, inae 
caar.. immajifi* tarrlamani. Wa alap m^omv tha 
o«ciii«1urFtf lo *kH» h* comj>laia raclDry c*jarahe» 
Conlad: Cora« Harding and Co, 101 SoutK Br«A. 
W.abach. Camb. Tal Q»*S5a4lBB. 



Reach an estimated readership of over 200,000 users 
per month for as little as £2.00*. 

Or if you are starting your own smell businass advertise in the suparmart 
tor only E 10,00. 

Yes all vou have to do is fill in the coupon b«low including your nama, 
address and/ot telephone number and tjand to: SuperrnBjrt, Sinclair Usar, 
6MAP r 67 Clerhenwell Hosd, London EC1R 5BH. 

Maximum 30 words 

Your advert will appear in the earliest possible) edition. 



Name * - 

Address , ...- "■•. i 

,,., ....,,-Tei: "■■-■ 

Have you included the t« of £2,00 or £1000? 

•for B*cond band ial«» onry 



„,!» ahIkui Q ■ Tna "aa»»n" "■ ~i -*. t„ jn, «« l^jm aw ~^ "F-aii" ■ 
to mm r~r. III **.«,»..» ,'irf .*, W | «| KL| PijpUun n mm rl am aapi. oap •"* 




Sinclair user sepfemkr /aiy 



145 



MAILORDER PROTECTION SCHEME 

Advertisements in this magazine are required to conform to 
the British Code of Advertising Practice. In respect of maif 
order advertisements where money is sought iti advance of 
the despatch of goods the Code requires the advertiser to 
despatch goods within 2B days, unless a longer period is 
stated, Where goods are returned to an advertiser, unda- 
maged, within 7 days, the purchasers money must be 
refunded, plus the cost of returning the goods. The reader 
should retain evidence of despatch. 

If you order goods from mail order advertisements in this 
magazine and pay in advance of delivery you will be 
considered for compensation under the Scheme if the 
advertiser becomes insolvent or ceases to trade provided 
that: 

(a) you have not received the goods, or a refund in 
respect of returning same, AND: 

lb) you write to the Advertisement Manager of this 
magazine stating the facts, not earlier than 2 & days from 
the date of the order and NOT LATER THAN THREE 
MONTHS from the date on which the advertisement ap- 

THE SCHEME ONLY COVERS ADVANCE PAYMENT SENT 
IN DIRECT RESPONSE TO AN ADVERTISEMENT IN THIS 
MAGAZINE. IT DOES NOT COVER: - 

(a) Classified advertising; 

(b) payment made in response to catalogues, brochures, 
etc received as a result of responding to such adver- 
tisements; 

[c| advertisers offering services as opposed to goods, 
Id) claims where payment is made with Access or 
Barclaycard and where the cost of the goods is over 
£30. In this case claims should be made to the Credit 
Card Company concerned 
Full details Of the Scheme are available by sending a 
stamped and addressed envelope to Mail Order Protection 
Scheme, Periodical Publishers Association, Imperial 
House, Kingsway, London WC2B 6 UN 



Advertisement Index 



AGF 112, 113 

Actiwsion i AS 

Addictive Game*- 130 

Advanced Memory Systems S3 

Arcada .-. >** 

Bee Bug ■ ' '* 

Belaaofi 124 

Bridgamasmr 1 3B 

Hnriih Micro ,,1»*,1 1S 



.G4 
.119 

,.,&1 
99 
56 



CC& 

CP Software..... 

Cambridge Comfjutino 

Csrnbridgja Systems Teoh. ... 
CambrirJflB Limyefoity Pr*t* ■ 

Campkwll Syatama 20- 

C Meade . . , S4 

Chmiafi MarVvtinf) '0* 

Chad apiMft , — ........... XV 

Comfitittound .,,. *9. 81 

Compuler One 48. 49 

CornhiH Services -.1 IB 

Croas Software .-, 4S 

Crysral 81 

OK 'Tronic* , - 27-34 

Daiapen ■ ^8 

Dat*rl •■ a 

De Barron ,......,...,. 135 

Digital Integration xvi 

Dryvfl Microtronini ...,..,..,,„■-■■ 10O 

Ea*l Lsndon Hotwues 123 

Firtiasv - 1^ 

Fdjcb Astro *' 

Fox Ehoiifomcs 13* 

GCE Tutorial ...» .......129 

Gemma SoMwsra 20 

MMV Record Shops 4 

Hartlend Software -,, .-118 

htenson — -12 

Hornby SI 

In i«rf see Puttficenofla ,. . 1 24 

KelwW* ■ 12S 

Ke-mpiion »•-'"■' *% 

Kaww... ■ 2G 

Knarm* - «-- 1*3 

Lothlorwsn -61 

Marvic Marketing . 130 

Melbourne Hem** 38. 3" 

Micro i*fB«e ...1 43 



Micromega . SJ 

Microvitae ■ -&8 

M«cro«pr»ftre . 122 

MNrToraoli ...B2 

Monitor - 13* 

National Soh want UbfWV 130 

Nt*i 6inir»n«i ,...,...44 

Ocean . 11. 57 

Opui Suppliei . ,. 24.94 

QMlgrd Computet Publuihiria 90 

PAS.. 22 

Page Computing 1*3 

Pictmaique ■ -*S 

Practice! BotwtJc* .... 13& 

Print W Plotter ,,,,,.. 131, 132 

Pn,m 107. 108. 109 

P"Jt»k - 14. 80 

Quic**crv* 14B 

RAM Elaeiroflici 69 

Romantic FUjbora 4* 

Rotrorw'ce .,,,.. $2 

SMT . " 

Selec Software 22 

Richard Shaprwd Software 120 

Shi v» PubdcatHOfie 22 

Sfcywiv*. 58 

&h«r*Qf1 88 

Small School Software 128 

Sofimeeh ....Bo 

SoMwarn Landing Library 134 

Software Library ...124 

Software Supermarket ■ '19 

Sohtfak Technology , tJ2 

Speotatkaw ..129 

Siaiaorjm .143 

Sionachw .,.,..,.., 42 

Swoppatapa - " lv 

Tmdy. , - 4.& 

Teaman....... ,,..,..— 89 

Tatunff . — ..■«..*, ...1 f 

Tfanaform S4 

TripTych ..40.41 

Ultimata 18 

Uniwenaly Soft we**.,.., 126 

Vortex 121 

J. WBay ... B 

ZX MicrOfaW ....* 



A world of activity for you 
and your Sinclair 

ear -*z^ — ^^. WhntViAr unu havP a Z 




Whether you have a ZX80, ZX8) or Spectrum — we can show you 

there's far more to your Sinclair than you ever thought possible. 

That's the active, iively world of Sinclair U»r — the first magazine 

written specially for everyone who owns or uses a Sinclair 

computer. 

Every month, there is a whole range of games, business ideas and 

bright new ways to learn There is the Sinclair User Club, with 

special exclusive member offers There are technical facts. 

development news and advice, plus hints from other users and 

answers to queries — in fact everything you need to be an 

interested, informed and ACTIVE Sinclair user. 

There's just one problem — Sinclair U»ei sells out fast? So make 

sure you don'r miss your copy: order it today from your 

newsagent — or complete the subscription 

form below and we will ^ .. 

send it to you direct, every month, ^ ^ — " """ 

%to 




-^«£oT»5Sr- 



146 



SINCLAIR USER September 1964 



MJ51 

Pn|,m 

041-S72M20 
f«iranh + Oiaig 

Pinnae I* 
DA»<3 ?3M1 

CbpiwkH' 
021 -«0 75*1 

LlgfiHww 



PCS 

025* W12H 

B+R 

Droire 

07S2i7iJ15 

Twang 
Q7MSO*«4QS 

I hoi" EMiCt 
ionwaw DiWitMjrorc 
0»2 51»3fl4 

HfeYfawr 
BJ4J 66922 







WOOLWORm 

and other goad computer stores 
everywhere- 



Compatible with Kempston. Protek/AGF, 

and Interface 2 joystick types, 



3D 
Motor 
Bike Grand Prix 
on the 48K 
Spectrum — £6.9^ 



i 



V_4 



l 



T 



I 







FTfED 



SNOWMAN 



BOOGABOO VtlHOR-S LA(R 



ANT ATTACK 



MIMED OUT DRUMKIT C*TE CRASHER |^£VV NEW GENE 

COMMODORE 

TRASHMA 
3D TUNNE 




WARNING These programs, are sold according to QUtCKSJLVA Ltd 



:•* trade ana conddlicnj of sal*. COB'MO* which are available on request. 



md fading ■»> jUifrii '•tail*'* and 
IMdal jit : oniBWlf' *!or»* ■